Sky Sports F1 star announces immediate exit ahead of Austrian Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1 pundits dressed up for the Las Vegas Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

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Sky Sports F1 star announces immediate exit ahead of Austrian Grand Prix

A member of the Sky Sports F1 team has confirmed they will no longer be part of the lineup

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 24 June 2026 17:15 Updated: 18:08

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A key member of the Sky Sports F1 team has announced they are leaving their role with the British broadcaster ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

Sky have held the exclusive rights to F1 race weekend coverage at every grand prix in the UK since 2012 and boast a popular talent lineup that mixes champions like Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg with fan-favourite commentators such as Martin Brundle.

But ahead of this weekend's race at the Red Bull Ring, presenter and reporter Rachel Brookes has announced her exit from the team with immediate effect.

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In a post on X, Brookes announced: "After many years at Sky I am moving on to exciting new ventures and looking forward to what comes next.

"I have left the Sky F1 team but F1 still has my heart & so I’ll still be involved in it. I’ll keep you posted, in the meantime see you at Silverstone!"

A spokesperson for Sky told GPFans: "Rachel has moved on from the Sky Sports F1 team to take on new challenges as we evolve our coverage. Rachel has been an asset for the team and we wish her well in her new endeavours."

Who is ex-Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes?

Brookes joined the Sky Sports F1 team in 2012 and became a prominent figure with the broadcaster over the years.

The British journalist previously hosted the F1 Show alongside axed pundit and former FIA steward Johnny Herbert.

She went on to present Sky Sports News before becoming a reporter who frequently attended the paddock on race weekends.

Alongside fellow presenter Natalie Pinkham and F1 correspondent for Sky Sports News, Craig Slater, Brookes took on the role of interviewing F1 drivers in the media pen both before and after races.

It was this role that thrust Brookes into the public eye and saw her receive heavy criticism on social media, particularly regarding an interview with four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen.

After Verstappen and F1 rival George Russell made contact at the 2025 Spanish GP, Brookes' fellow Sky pundit Rosberg suggested the Red Bull star had collided with the Mercedes driver on purpose.

When Brookes made the bold decision to ask Verstappen outright whether the move on Russell was intentional or not, the Dutchman became visibly annoyed and Brookes was sent a deluge of abuse on social media as a result.

She went on to describe the messages she received at the time as 'horrific', clarifying she had no personal issue with Verstappen.

Describing the experience, Brookes said: "The fans, and the social media side of it, was horrendous. I got people telling me I should never be allowed to have children because I’m a bad example. I got the most horrific stuff you could imagine."

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