Sky Sports issue statement after F1 broadcaster announces shock exit before Austrian GP

Sky Sports has issued a statement after it was confirmed long-serving presenter Rachel Brookes had left the Sky F1 team ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Brookes confirmed the news on her social media channels on June 24, saying she had left the Sky F1 team while maintaining that she would still be involved with the sport as it has her "heart".

As per her LinkedIn profile, Brookes began working at Sky back in 2009, first undertaking the position of freelance reporter before working her way through the ranks.

In 2011, she became a full-time broadcast journalist at the company and became known for her pre- and post-race interviews with F1's biggest stars.

Her exit came as a surprise to many, given that the Austrian Grand Prix is set to take place on June 28.

Brookes’ statement read: "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!"

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The exact reason for her swift exit has yet to be made public.

However, news of her departure comes after she opened up about the abuse she received following an interview with Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Rachel Brookes worked on Sky Sports News as a presenter before moving to Sky F1 (Image: Getty)

After the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, she asked the Dutchman, who had been handed a 10-second penalty, whether he had deliberately made contact with George Russell during the race.

"Does it matter?" Verstappen replied.

Speaking on the Road to Success podcast, she discussed the incident and the "horrific" abuse which followed.

"...Nobody else in that pen that day asked him that question – and even my colleagues said they wouldn't have asked that question because they'd have been too scared to ask it,” she explained.

"But then the fans, 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.

"And this is from a lot of these profiles with dads with kids, with daughters and things like that, where you just look at it and think: 'Take a step back. It's a Formula 1 race. It's sport.'"

Sky Sports issues statement on Brookes' exit

On Friday (June 26), as per Planet F1, Sky Sports issued the following statement on Brookes’ exit: “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.”