The 2026 Formula One World Championship season has been hit with controversy following the departure of Danica Patrick from Sky Sports F1’s broadcast team.
Known as the “American voice” of the British coverage and a former professional racing driver, Patrick’s exit was confirmed on Wednesday, March 4, just days before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
As the decision quickly triggered backlash online, with critics debating her qualifications and political views, a viral image circulating on social media sparked a wave of humorous reactions as fans shared their surprise.
One netizen jokingly speculated about Patrick’s alleged firing from Sky Sports F1, writing, “Because she’s built better than the F1 drivers.”
The Formula One World Championship season commentary has recently been rocked by the abrupt exit of American F1 analyst Danica Patrick
Image credits: danicapatrick
Danica Patrick had been part of a rotating group of expert contributors at Sky Sports F1’s broadcast for the past five years, since making her debut with the network in 2021.
She served as a primary analyst for the championship’s North American rounds, including the United States Grands Prix (Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas), as well as the Canadian and Mexico City Grands Prix.
Coming from a background as a professional driver in IndyCar Series and NASCAR, Patrick provided commentary along with pre-race and post-race analysis from the paddock and the “SkyPad.”
Image credits: danicapatrick
After the network omitted her name from its official punditry and presentation lineup for the 2026 season announcement earlier this week, several media outlets alleged that she had been “fired.”
One such post was shared by OutKick on its official Facebook account yesterday with the caption, “Danica Patrick has apparently been fired from her F1 announcing gig, and it’s so painfully obvious why. Take a guess.”
Many online sleuths quickly zeroed in on the image of Patrick included in the post and came up with several humorous responses to the question posed in the caption.
In the image, Patrick was holding a Sky Sports microphone while wearing a sleeveless black tank top and looking away from the camera.
Image credits: Kym Illman/Getty Images
The outfit highlighted her visibly muscular physique, prompting one user to joke, “Because she’s bigger stronger and faster than anyone of those guys driving those cars! If there was a weight class that said Formula One in MMA she would be world champion.”
Another user commented, “Because they are scared she may knock the weasel drivers out with 1 punch.”
“She should try out the Arnold classic! Dang gym time!” said a third netizen.
“Because she wouldn’t give them details of her arm workout.”
As news of her alleged “firing” circulated widely online, netizens instead zeroed in on one of the former racer’s viral images taken mid-commentary
Image credits: danicapatrick
“She beat them all in arm wrestling?” questioned one user, while others quipped, “Looks like she could bench press a driver.”
While Patrick had been part of the British broadcast team for the past five seasons and her sudden exit sparked “firing” rumors, she claimed she chose to “move on” to focus on other projects and business interests.
In an interview with the Associated Press published yesterday, Patrick told the outlet, “I called after the season last year and just said it was time for me to move on. I felt like I had taken in a great experience in F1 and was ready to have more time for other projects and interests.”
“I am building a new company. I am also new to a couple of boards with big plans, and very busy punishing myself by learning new sports like tennis, golf, and skiing.”
Image credits: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Patrick also gave a shoutout to the Sky Sports team, saying she had an “amazing time” working with them.
She added, “They were the reason I did it for so long. It was a lot of work, more than being a driver in many ways during a race weekend, especially in terms of time commitment at the track. However, as a group, we made it fun. I also learned a lot about F1 and the drivers and became a much bigger fan, so that was fun too.”
“My favorite part is the team principals. They understand the assignment of good television while obviously being incredible at running race teams.”
Danica’s muscular physique sparked a wave of hilarious reactions online, as many netizens joked about her departure from the broadcasting network
Image credits: danicapatrick
As the former racer’s statement became public, some netizens voiced skepticism over her claim that the departure was a personal decision.
Several commenters instead pointed to the changing U.S. broadcast landscape as a possible reason.
One skeptical user wrote, “Sky Sports is British TV. Last year they simulcast on ESPN for US viewers. This year, F1 is on AppleTV. There was no need for an American commentator with Sky Sports not broadcasting in the US…”
As of the Formula One 2026 season, ESPN is no longer the U.S. broadcaster for F1.
Apple TV officially took over the exclusive U.S. broadcast rights in 2026 after ESPN’s deal expired at the end of the 2025 season.
Image credits: danicapatrick
However, some fans of the sport disagreed with that explanation. One user argued, “Why, other sports say…. Golf for one, Use… multiple commentators. Sorry, that excuse doesn’t hold water.”
“She also made a lot of blunders. She didn’t help herself at all… in my opinion, she did not improve,” another netizen added.
While a large part of the internet questioned her skills and qualifications as a presenter, some voiced their concerns more gently, while others were far more blunt in their criticism.
Patrick’s sudden removal came after she had been with the broadcast for the past five years and after a year of petitions calling for her removal
Image credits: danicapatrick
One critic bluntly said, “Won’t be missed at all… Girl u had no business reporting on F1. How u made it 5 years is beyond me.”
A second, in agreement, added, “I believe you were fired,” while a third user quipped, “No sweetie, you didn’t move on from them, they move on from you.”
“Let’s not lie and say she had any business in F1. She was not great on F1, she added little to no value to the broadcast. It’s OK to be honest when someone is out of their element. Blowing smoke up… does not benefit them in any way.”
There has also been significant public speculation that Danica’s exit from Sky Sports F1 was influenced by her increasingly vocal political opinions.
Image credits: danicapatrick
Her departure followed a year of high-profile political campaigning, including speaking at rallies for President Donald Trump and openly aligning with the MAGA movement.
Reportedly, in March last year, an online petition calling for her removal garnered more than 40,000 signatures, with fans arguing her divisive views were “incompatible with the inclusive ethos” of Formula 1.
Part of the petition’s description read, “Formula 1, alongside the FIA, has made substantial strides in promoting inclusion, diversity, and equality across the sport… In contrast, the MAGA movement, with which Danica Patrick has publicly aligned herself… stand in direct opposition to Formula 1’s progressive stance on diversity and inclusion.”
“Her F1 knowledge was freakin’ awful, and her only value to F1 was as unintentional comic relief as she was so bad,” wrote one netizen
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