Sky Sports F1 presenter undergoes emergency surgery in Baku

One of the key members of Sky Sports' Formula 1 coverage has explained their absence at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

A thrilling few days in Baku was capped by McLaren star Oscar Piastri's stunning victory on the street circuit after the Australian stood firm in the face of relentless pressure from Charles Leclerc, who came home second.

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George Russell completed the top three having swooped in late on to take advantage of a dramatic collision between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez which put the duo out of the race.

Further back, Lando Norris made up some ground on title rival Max Verstappen, despite starting the day in 17th following a qualifying disaster on Saturday, finishing one spot ahead of the Dutchman in fourth.

Where was Rachel Brookes this weekend?

And watching the action unfold from afar was Sky Sports presenter Rachel Brookes, who was unable to attend the showpiece event after undergoing emergency surgery.

Addressing speculation as to why she was nowhere to be seen over the weekend, she took to her Instagram page to reveal the surprise reason.

As reported by The Mirror, Brookes wrote: "So I landed here Tuesday night and felt poorly.

"Thought it was just nasty food poisoning but yesterday found out that I had appendicitis and needed surgery.

"I've had the appendectomy and all good. Just want to say a massive thanks to all my colleagues at Sky Sports F1 for stepping up, stepping in to cover and sending me so many messages. We really do have the best team!

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"And also to Sky as a company for pulling out all the stops to get me the best care and flying out my sister for support.

"So, basically, that's why I wasn't on the coverage this weekend... see you all in Texas."

Brookes wasn't the only noticeable absentee from the broadcaster's usual line-up either, with commentator David Croft currently off on honeymoon following his recent wedding.

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