Former Sky Sports Formula 1 reporter Rachel Brookes has detailed her departure from the broadcaster, emphasizing that her exit was a planned decision and not a result of online fan abuse. Brookes, who spent 14 years covering the sport for Sky, revealed that she had a particularly supportive conversation with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton shortly after announcing her decision to leave.

Planned Departure from Sky Sports

Brookes, 51, announced her departure from Sky Sports in June, a move that coincided with the lead-up to the Austrian Grand Prix. While the timing may have appeared abrupt to viewers, she clarified that the decision had been in the works for some time, allowing her to bid farewell to colleagues, teams, and drivers within the Formula 1 paddock.

Speaking on the Essential F1 podcast, Brookes explained, “It appeared very sudden, but it wasn’t.” She elaborated on the importance of having the opportunity to say goodbye properly. “I had a chance to say goodbye to people in the paddock, to people I worked with, teams, drivers.”

Supportive Conversations with Drivers

The F1 paddock, often described as a close-knit community, showed its support for Brookes during her transition. She recounted a touching moment with Lewis Hamilton, who offered words of encouragement and a comforting gesture.

“I actually had a chance to say goodbye to Lewis. I had a lovely chat with Lewis. I got some time with Lewis to have a conversation,” Brookes shared. “He was, as you would imagine, really, really lovely, very supportive. I won’t divulge everything that was said but it was caught by some photographers. There’s a lovely photo at the end of it where he gives me a massive hug and he says ‘I hope I see you back in the paddock soon,’ which was really lovely.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by other drivers. Charles Leclerc also offered a silent but meaningful gesture of support. “In Canada, I was finishing media in the TV interview pen and Charles Leclerc had just finished his written interviews and was just walking back out. I was stood by my camera and he just gave me the biggest hug. Didn’t say a word just gave me the biggest hug.”

Brookes also received video messages from drivers who she hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to in person. “There were a few drivers I didn’t get to say goodbye to, just as it happened. I was at home the day after it had been announced and I get these little video messages from a couple of drivers as well, who said ‘we’re going to miss you’. It was really, really lovely.”

Reflecting on the outpouring of support, Brookes added, “The paddock is a family. It’s an amazing place. I kind of didn’t think anyone would notice but the teams and the drivers, it is one big family and it is amazing. I was quite overwhelmed by the response from everybody.”

Addressing Fan Abuse Allegations

Brookes explicitly denied that online abuse played any role in her decision to leave Sky Sports. This clarification came after reports linking her departure to ‘horrendous’ fan backlash following an interview with Max Verstappen in the previous season.

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

The Max Verstappen Interview Incident

The interview in question occurred after the Spanish Grand Prix last May. Max Verstappen had received a 10-second penalty for colliding with Mercedes driver George Russell. During the post-race media session, Brookes questioned Verstappen about the incident.

Brookes recalled the exchange on the Road to Success podcast: “I said to Max, ‘Was it deliberate?’ And his response was, ‘Does it matter?'” She then pressed further, explaining her reasoning: “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.”

Following the interview, Brookes revealed she received significant praise from peers in sports broadcasting for asking a question that many felt was too difficult or risky to pose.

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

The Impact of Social Media Backlash

Despite the professional commendation, Brookes faced a torrent of negative comments on social media. She described the abuse as “utterly horrendous.”

“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,” Brookes recounted. “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’. But the stuff I got sent was horrendous, utterly horrendous. So I just closed my comments.”

Verstappen, who acknowledged the collision as a ‘mistake’ post-race, was ultimately demoted from fifth to tenth place in the Spanish Grand Prix results. He narrowly missed out on the world championship title that season, finishing just two points behind Lando Norris.

Future in Formula 1

Despite leaving her role at Sky Sports, Brookes indicated her intention to remain connected to Formula 1. She had previously assured fans that she would keep them informed about her future endeavors, suggesting that her involvement in the sport was far from over.

The supportive farewells from drivers and colleagues underscored the strong relationships Brookes had built over her extensive tenure, highlighting the camaraderie within the Formula 1 community even as she embarked on a new chapter in her career.