Murray Walker, who was an F1 commentator for over a quarter of a century, passed away on Saturday at the age of 97.
He commentated on his first F1 grand prix in 1949 before becoming a full-time commentator in 1978.
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Walker was appointed an OBE in 1996 for his services to broadcasting and motorsport after being the voice of Formula One for almost two decades.
After news of his passing broke on Saturday, tributes quickly began to pour in from current and former F1 drivers, in addition to other members of the motorsport community.
“So sad to hear of Murray’s passing. I remember growing up hearing your voice over the races. You made the sport so much more exciting and captivating,” Sir Lewis Hamilton wrote in a tweet.
“The iconic voice of our sport and a great man, thank you for all you did, you will never be forgotten,” he added.
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan described Walker as a “legend” of Formula One.
“He was so well prepared. He was very nonchalant about it, he didn’t give that impression but he had the knowledge,” Jordan said.
“When he was doing the commentary, he had every single angle covered. He was brilliant at it.”
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Martin Brundle, who started his F1 commentary career alongside Walker after retiring from racing, described him as a “wonderful man in every respect” and branded him a “national treasure.”
“He was a wonderful character, always so full of life, full of fun and positive enthusiasm,” Brundle continued.
“We all loved him. In a high level sport, where you are universally loved and respected and regarded, I would think is quite unusual because that’s the sort of personality he was, he was so good at what he did.
“He had a passion for Formula 1 that is almost unsurpassed. The whole of our sport will be hugely saddened by this news.”
2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button said Walker “will always live on in our memories”.
“Today we say farewell to one of the greats of our sport, Murray was the voice of F1 for so many years, he put his heart and soul into commentating,” Button wrote in a tweet.
“The legend will always live on in our memories but today in Murray’s words ‘I’ve got to stop because I have a lump in my throat,’” he added, repeating what Walker said when Damon Hill won the 1996 World Championship.
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