Murray Walker has become almost as famous for the things he should have said as he has for his official comments about Formula One racing. The Grand Old Man of the sport has no qualms about being made the subject of gaffe compilations and actively encourages their reproduction. Here are a selection of the quotations that helped establish Murray as the involuntary comedian in a business he has served so nobly for more than half a century.
"I don't make mistakes. I make prophecies which immediately turn out to be wrong." "And now, excuse me while I interrupt myself." "He's obviously gone in for a wheel change. I say obviously because I can't see it." "Do my eyes deceive me, or is Senna's Lotus sounding rough?" "A battle is developing between them. I say developing, because it's not yet on." "And that just shows you how important the car is in Formula One Racing." "Even in five years time, he will still be four years younger than Damon Hill." "With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go." "Either the car is stationary, or it's on the move." "He can't decide whether to leave his visor half open or half closed." "There's nothing wrong with the car except that it's on fire." "I've no idea what Eddie Irvine's orders are, but he's following them superlatively well." "You might not think that's cricket, and it's not, it's motor racing." "If is a very long word in Formula One; in fact, IF is F1 spelled backwards." "The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical." "There are seven winners of the Monaco Grand Prix on the starting line today, and four of them are Michael Schumacher." "That's history. I say history because it happened in the past."
