Martin Brundle speaks to ex-world’s hottest athlete

Ex-tennis player Maria Sharapova was named as the hottest athlete in the world by Maxim in 2006.

Ex-Formula 1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle completed another iconic gridwalk at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which brought the season to a close.

Being the final race of the year, the grid was full of A-listers, with Brundle having done his best to speak to as many as possible.

Key celebrities that the ex-F1 driver spoke to include Manchester City footballer Kevin de Bruyne, American rapper and songwriter Will.i.am, actor Chris Hemsworth and retired tennis legend Maria Sharapova.

It was Sharapova that Brundle spent the most time talking to, whilst he praised after their conversation how wonderful she is.

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The former Russian tennis player was at the race supporting Lewis Hamilton, someone she’s been friends with for many years.

Sharapova brought her glittering tennis career to a close in 2020, with her having won all four Grand Slam tournaments during her career.

Nowadays, she works for several brands, whilst she also continues to entertain her 4.6 million Instagram followers.

Prior to her retirement from professional tennis, Sharapova was named as the World’s hottest athlete by Maxim (a men’s magazine) in 2006, whilst People magazine named her amongst the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world in 2005.

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Her success has seen her become worth $180 million, according to Forbes, with £30 million of that figure being purely from tennis.

With her being friends with Hamilton, Sharapova would’ve likely been disappointed by the result of the Abu Dhabi GP, as the Mercedes driver could only salvage ninth.

The 38-year-old started the race in 11th and struggled to make any progress, something which wasn’t helped by a broken front-wing.

Hamilton completed the bulk of the race with a broken front-wing after driving into the back of Pierre Gasly, who locked-up ahead of him at the incredibly tight Turn 6.

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Thankfully for Hamilton, George Russell was on hand to secure the Silver Arrows second in the Constructors’ Championship, after he finished third at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Despite Russell finishing the race in second, he still ended 2023 well behind Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.

Hamilton claimed P3 for 2023, whilst Russell had to settle for a woeful eighth.