What Lewis Hamilton said to Rachel Brookes when she told him she was leaving Sky F1

Former Sky F1 presenter Rachel Brookes has revealed what Lewis Hamilton said to her when he learned she was leaving her role ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Brookes first began working as a freelancer at Sky back in 2009 before becoming an integral part of the broadcaster’s F1 coverage, conducting trackside interviews with drivers.

Despite being a much-loved figure in the paddock, the 51-year-old announced she was leaving Sky ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, posting the following statement on social media: “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.”

This caused fans to question the reason for her shock decision before Sky Sports later released a statement wishing Brookes well in her “new endeavours” without explaining why she had parted company.

There were rumours that part of the reason for her decision was related to the abuse she received after a frosty incident with Max Verstappen following last year’s Spanish Grand Prix.

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Brookes had asked Verstappen if he had intentionally made contact with George Russell during the race after the Dutchman received a 10-second penalty.

"Does it matter?" Verstappen replied.

Speaking on the Road to Success podcast earlier in 2026, Brookes opened up about the “horrific” abuse she faced after the Spanish Grand Prix, saying: “The social media side of it was horrendous.

“I got people telling me I should never be able to have children because I'm a bad example. I got the most horrific stuff you could imagine.”

However, ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, she was keen to state that this had no bearing on her decision to leave Sky.

“It was nothing to do with comments and abuse I got online last year at all,” said Brookes.

“That was resolved very quickly, and I’ve got a great relationship with Max. So absolutely nothing to do with that.

“I know a lot of people thought that, and there were some articles written. Absolutely not the case at all.”

Rachel Brookes reveals Hamilton's reaction to Sky F1 exit

Now, speaking on the Essential F1 podcast, Brookes has revealed what happened the moment she told Hamilton she was leaving the paddock.

"Obviously I left Sky. I have left Sky,” she said. “And it appeared very sudden.

“I had a chance to say goodbye to people in the paddock, to people I've worked with, teams, drivers. And I actually had a chance to say goodbye to Lewis, and I had a lovely chat with Lewis, and got some time with Lewis to have a conversation. And he was, as you would imagine, really, really lovely, very supportive. Won't divulge everything that was said. But it was caught by some photographers. There's a lovely photo at the end of it, he gives me a massive hug, and he says, 'I hope I see you back in the paddock soon.' He was really lovely.”

F1 returns next month, with the Dutch Grand Prix scheduled for August 23.