Rachel Brookes speaks out about surprising Sky F1 departure and talks about strong Max Verstappen rumors
F1 presenter Rachel Brookes has finally opened up about leaving Sky Sports after 14 years with the British broadcaster. She left Sky’s Formula 1 team just before June’s Austrian Grand Prix. Fans loved her for her trackside interviews and great coverage of the sport.
Rachel, 51, started working for Sky as a freelancer in 2009, according to her LinkedIn. On June 24, she surprised everyone by announcing on social media that she was moving on to new and exciting projects. She said, “I’ve left the Sky F1 team, but F1 still has my heart, so I’ll still be involved. I’ll keep you posted.”
Sky Sports wished her well in a statement but didn’t share the reason for her departure. Soon after leaving Sky, Rachel returned to work with Aston Martin at the British Grand Prix, hosting a special VIP and fan event called ‘The Lawn.’
Recently, Rachel finally talked about why she left Sky and cleared up rumors that she quit because of online abuse after an incident with Max Verstappen. After the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, she asked Max about a penalty he received for making contact with George Russell. When she asked if the contact was deliberate, Verstappen replied, “Does it matter?”
Rachel shared on the Road to Success podcast that the online abuse she faced was terrible. People even told her she shouldn’t be allowed to have children. But she made it clear the abuse wasn’t the reason she left. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, she said, “That was sorted quickly, and I have a great relationship with Max. So, no, that wasn’t the reason at all.”
She also made a prediction about Max Verstappen’s future. Despite rumors linking him to McLaren, Rachel thinks Max might join Mercedes. She believes Max still wants to be winning races consistently and might be looking for a change because some key people have left Red Bull.
Rachel said, “Max has shown us what he can do, and we’re all impressed. But he wants to win again, to have trophies at home.” She added she thinks Max will team up with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Rachel feels this is something that could happen, even if money or contract length were issues before.
F1 is back next month with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23.