Formula 1 TV commentator's 'pikey' quip provokes race equality row

Formula 1 commentator Martin Brundle yesterday found himself at the centre of an equality row after using the word 'pikey' in the middle of his broadcast.

His slip-up came while he was interviewing F1 chief Bernie Eccleston live on ITV1 just before the start of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in which Lewis Hamilton was in pole position.

F1 commentator Martin Brundle chats with champion driver Lewis Hamilton

Brundle, 49, himself a former F1 driver scoffed, 'There are some pikeys there at turn 10 putting tarmac down - what do you think of that?'

Neither seemed to realise the blunder but last night the racial equality watchdog condemned Brundle's choice of phrasing.

A spokesman for the new Equality and Human Rights Commission said: 'This word has been used on television in the past and is highly derogatory.

'They have caused much offence in the past.'  

The word 'pikey' was originally used as a slang reference to gypsies or travellers but has now been coined as a general term for anyone living on the cheap.

It is not the first time it has been used in vain by a TV presenter and last year chef Marco Pierre White was forced to apologise after using the word on ITV's Hells Kitchen.

Commentators are increasingly landing themselves in trouble for such gaffes and football pundit Ron Atkinson famously lost his job three years ago after his racist remarks were broadcast round the world.

Atkinson, who thought he was off-air, was heard describing Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly as a 'f**cking lazy thick ni*****' live on ITV.

He was later forced to resign from the channel and apologise for his remarks.

Veteran BBC commentator Julian Tutt caused a furore at Wimbledon after he said that the young Australian player Jelena Dokic was staying in a 'cheap bordello', another name for a brothel.

The BBC quickly apologised for Tutt's comments, which came during the 1999 championships

The Canadian Gilles Villeneuve track which sparked Martin Brundle's outburst yesterday had caused much controversy in the build-up to the race.

During the qualifying on Saturday afternoon bits of tarmac began crumbling away making conditions extremely difficult.

Many drivers described the track as a 'joke' and said their times had been significantly slower.

A spokesman for ITV said: 'We apologise for any offence caused by this remark.'

He added that it was too early to say if there had been any complaints.