Former Sky Sports F1 reporter Rachel Brookes has set the record straight and denied that Max Verstappen was in any way connected to her recent departure from the British broadcaster, insisting the rumors that followed her sudden exit were simply untrue.
Brookes, who left Sky last month after more than a decade as one of its most familiar faces in the Formula 1 paddock, addressed the claims publicly for the first time during an appearance on the Essential F1 podcast following the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 51-year-old acknowledged that many fans had linked her exit to the online abuse she received after interviewing Verstappen about his clash with George Russell at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, but she made clear that the issue had been resolved long ago and had no bearing on her departure.
“It was nothing to do with comments and abuse I got online last year at all,” Brookes explained.
“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.”
‘It appeared very sudden, but it wasn’t’
With the Verstappen rumors firmly addressed, Brookes turned to the emotional reality of leaving the paddock after 17 years with Sky Sports and 14 seasons as part of its Formula 1 coverage.
“It appeared very sudden, but it wasn’t,” she explained. “I had a chance to say goodbye to people in the paddock, to people I worked with, teams, drivers.”
One of the most meaningful farewells came with Lewis Hamilton, who offered his support in a private conversation.
“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. He was, as you would imagine, really, really lovely, very supportive,” she recalled.
“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.”
Leclerc’s silent gesture and a paddock farewell
Brookes also recalled a touching moment with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
“In Canada, I was finishing media in the TV interview pen and Charles Leclerc had just finished his interviews and was just walking back out,” she remembered.
“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. So obviously someone had told him and I just said ‘thank you’ and he left.”
The support continued after the announcement became public.
“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.”
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Reflecting on the response, Brookes admitted she had underestimated how much she meant to the people around her.
“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,” she concluded.
Although she has left Sky Sports, Brookes has already hinted that her Formula 1 journey is far from over, appearing at Aston Martin’s The Lawn event during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
For now, however, her message is unmistakable: her departure had nothing to do with Max Verstappen, and everything to do with closing one chapter while remaining warmly embraced by the Formula 1 family she spent years helping to tell the story of.
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