Sky Sports Reporter Rachel Brookes Leaves F1 Broadcasting Role After Opening Up About ‘Utterly Horrendous’ Abuse Following Viral Max Verstappen Interview

Veteran Journalist Announces Departure Ahead Of Austrian Grand Prix But Confirms She Will Remain In Formula One After Fourteen Years With Sky Sports

Rachel Brookes has announced she is leaving her role as a Sky Sports Formula One reporter after more than a decade covering the sport, bringing to an end a 14-year spell as one of the most familiar faces in the paddock. The announcement comes only days after the experienced broadcaster spoke publicly about the “utterly horrendous” online abuse she received following a widely discussed interview with Max Verstappen last season. Although Brookes is stepping away from Sky Sports, she has made it clear that her career in Formula One is far from over, revealing she will remain involved in the championship through new projects and plans to be present at next month’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Her departure marks the end of a significant chapter for Sky Sports’ Formula One coverage, where she became known for conducting challenging interviews with drivers before and after races while reporting from the heart of the paddock throughout Grand Prix weekends.

Fourteen Years Covering Formula One

Brookes has been one of the most recognisable journalists within Sky Sports’ Formula One team since joining the broadcaster’s coverage more than a decade ago.

Over the past 14 years, she has interviewed many of the biggest names in the sport, speaking with world champions, team principals and engineers during some of Formula One’s most dramatic moments.

Whether reporting from the grid before lights out or conducting difficult post-race interviews immediately after incidents, Brookes built a reputation for asking direct questions while maintaining professional relationships throughout the paddock.

Her role frequently placed her in challenging situations, particularly when drivers were dealing with disappointment or controversy moments after climbing out of their cars.

Departure Confirmed On Social Media

Ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Brookes confirmed her decision to leave Sky Sports through a message posted on social media.

While announcing the end of her time with the broadcaster, she also reassured followers that she has no intention of leaving Formula One altogether.

“After many years at Sky I am moving on to exciting new ventures and looking forward to what comes next,” she wrote.

“I have left the Sky F1 team but F1 still has my heart & so I’ll still be involved in it.”

She concluded by confirming fans will still be able to see her around the Formula One paddock.

“I’ll keep you posted, in the meantime see you at Silverstone!”

Although she did not reveal details of her next role, the statement made clear that Formula One remains central to her future career plans.

New Chapter After Successful Broadcasting Career

Brookes has expanded her involvement in Formula One beyond television reporting in recent years.

She is also the author of F1 Racing: Drive: The Secrets to Formula One Success, a book exploring the personalities, teams and stories behind the sport.

Her departure from Sky therefore represents a professional transition rather than a complete departure from motorsport journalism.

The experienced broadcaster suggested further announcements regarding her future projects will follow in due course.

Speaking Out About Online Abuse

Only days before confirming her departure, Brookes spoke openly about one of the most difficult experiences of her broadcasting career.

Appearing on the Road to Success podcast, she described the wave of abuse she received following an interview with Max Verstappen after last year’s Spanish Grand Prix.

The interview quickly became one of the most widely discussed media moments of the Formula One season.

The Question That Sparked Debate

The incident centred around Verstappen’s collision with Mercedes driver George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Following the race, Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty for the contact.

Former Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg had suggested during Sky’s live commentary that Verstappen may have deliberately driven into Russell.

When Brookes later interviewed the Dutch driver, she decided to put that suggestion directly to him.

“I said to Max, ‘Was it deliberate?'” she explained on the podcast.

According to Brookes, Verstappen replied by asking, “Does it matter?”

She then responded: “Yeah, I think it does to the fans watching and to the kids.”

“I want people to see how good you are, and you make it difficult when you do stuff like that.”

The exchange immediately attracted widespread attention throughout the Formula One community.

Praise From Broadcasting Colleagues

While public reaction proved deeply divided, Brookes revealed she received significant support from fellow broadcasters behind the scenes.

Many experienced journalists contacted her privately after the interview.

“I got a lot of messages from people in broadcasting, in sports broadcasting, saying: ‘Well done for asking the question,'” she explained.

She also revealed that several colleagues admitted they would have avoided asking Verstappen such a direct question.

“Nobody else in that pen that day asked him that question,” Brookes said.

“Even my colleagues said they wouldn’t have asked that question because they’d have been too scared to ask it.”

For Brookes, the interview represented part of her responsibility as a journalist covering elite sport.

Abuse From Social Media

While broadcasting professionals praised her work, Brookes said the response online was dramatically different.

She described receiving an overwhelming volume of abusive messages after the interview circulated across social media.

According to Brookes, many of the comments went far beyond criticism of her journalism.

“The fans, the social media side of it, was horrendous,” she said.

“I got people telling me I should never be able to have children because I’m a bad example.”

She added that many of the messages came from accounts belonging to parents.

“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.”

Reflecting on those experiences, Brookes questioned why a sporting incident had generated such personal hostility.

“You just look at it and think: ‘Take a step back. It’s a Formula 1 race. It’s sport.'”

Forced To Close Comments

Eventually, the abuse became so severe that Brookes decided to restrict her interaction online.

“The stuff I got sent was horrendous, utterly horrendous,” she explained.

“So I just closed my comments.”

Her experience highlights the increasingly difficult environment faced by many broadcasters, journalists and officials working in professional sport, particularly when covering controversial incidents involving high-profile competitors.

Verstappen’s Difficult Weekend

The interview itself followed a dramatic conclusion to the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen had initially crossed the finish line in fifth position before the 10-second penalty dropped him to tenth in the final classification.

The Dutch driver later acknowledged that he had made a mistake during the race.

Those lost championship points ultimately proved significant.

By the end of the season, Verstappen narrowly missed out on securing another world title, finishing just two points behind eventual champion Lando Norris.

Although the interview became one of the defining media moments of the campaign, it was only one chapter in a championship battle that remained competitive until the very end.

Looking Ahead

As Formula One prepares for another busy stretch of the season, Brookes now begins a new phase of her career away from Sky Sports.

Her announcement has brought an end to more than a decade of reporting from the Formula One paddock, during which she became known for asking difficult questions regardless of the circumstances.

While her departure marks the end of one broadcasting role, Brookes has made it clear that her relationship with Formula One continues.

With Silverstone already confirmed as her next appearance, fans are likely to see her return around the sport in a different capacity before long.

For now, however, her farewell from Sky Sports arrives only days after reflecting on one of the most challenging episodes of her broadcasting career—a reminder of both the rewards and the pressures that come with reporting at the very highest level of international motorsport.