Ex-Sky Sports star teases tell-all after shock F1 exit

Former F1 presenter Rachel Brookes has teased a tell-all interview following her mysterious departure from Sky Sports.

The British journalist was a valued member of Sky's live coverage of grand prix weekends, which began after the channel acquired the rights to cover F1 in 2012.

In the past, Brookes showed off her talents on the Sky F1 Show alongside ex-pundit and driver Johnny Herbert, and also presented Sky Sports News before becoming a reporter who was frequently on hand to talk to drivers in the media pen during race weekends.

However, just days before last month's Austrian Grand Prix, Brookes made the shock announcement that she would be leaving the team with immediate effect.

At the time of the announcement, 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."

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Rachel Brookes leaves F1 fans desperate for answers

In her own post via social media, Brookes left out the details of her departure and what might have caused it, simply stating: "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!"

She then returned with the F1 circus at the following race weekend, in a role hosting Aston Martin's 'The Lawn' show at the British GP.

As fans eagerly await details of her next project or broadcasting appointment, Brookes has taken to social media once again to tease a tell-all interview regarding her shock Sky Sports exit.

In the video posted on TikTok, the former Sky F1 reporter could be seen entering a room that appeared to be set up for a podcast recording, sitting in an interview chair with a nervous expression on her face.

Brookes then jokingly dropped a cheeky reference to a trend which has been doing the rounds on social media, where users sit down, clip on a mini mic and get ready to tell their story, in reference to the dramatic style of a Netflix documentary.

The caption attached to Brookes' take on the viral trend read: "Preparing for my Netflix documentary on why I left Sky."

Though the presenter was merely making a lighthearted joke in line with the TikTok trend, it became clear from the comments that fans miss having her on their screens with Sky and are keen to know more about why she left.

"I know this is just for the trend but enquiring minds do want to know," read one comment, as another stated: "Sad to see you go. You were great on Sky. Wish you well in what you choose to do next. Hope to see you back in the paddock soon."

One social media user even shared their wish that Brookes really would do a sit-down tell-all interview, writing: "I hope this is gonna be real!!"

@rachelbrookestv Jumping on the Netflix trend….. #netflix #documentary #trending #fyp ♬ original sound - Let Loose

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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