The motorsport world mourns the loss of a Formula One legend. Murray Walker, often regarded as The Voice of Formula One, has passed away at the age of 97.
Known for his enthusiastic voice, he was the man behind so many memorable commentary moments his fans dubbed Murrayisms. Lines like “unless I am very much mistaken…. I am very much mistaken” or “The lead car is absolutely unique, except for the one behind it which is identical” or “there’s nothing wrong with his car except that it’s on fire”.
He was born in the fall on 1923. His father was a motorcycle rider who participated in the Isle of Man TT, having won the lightweight event in 1931. Murray served in the second World War reach the rank of captain.
Following the war, he followed his father’s footsteps by getting into motorcycle racing. With limited success in the sport, he moved into the advertising industry, working with brands like Dunlop and Esso.
His commentary career started in the late ’40s at the 1948 Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, before doing some radio commentary with the BBC. He commentated motorcycling racing alongside his father until his death in 1962. His occasional F1 commentary work with the BBC for F1 during the ’70s turned into a full-time gig in 1978.
During his time in F1 commentary, he worked alongside F1 World Champion turned commentator, James Hunt. The pair were an iconic commentary duo until Hunt’s death after the 1993 Canadian Grand Prix. Murray continued commentating until he retired in 2002, but he didn’t leave the microphone behind for good. He continued to make appearances with the BBC, Sky Sports and Channel 4.
Murray leaves behind his loving wife Elizabeth, with whom he was married for more than 60 years. He will forever be remembered and loved by those in the motorsport community.
