Sky Sports F1 Reporter Receives Abuse After Max Verstappen Interview
A prominent Sky Sports F1 reporter, Rachel Brookes, has been forced to disable comments on her social media accounts after receiving a torrent of abuse following an interview with Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix. According to reports from the Express, Brookes, who regularly shares media pen interviews with fellow Sky F1 reporters Ted Kravitz and Craig Slater, had a challenging conversation with Verstappen about his crash with George Russell.
The reigning world champion was still visibly frustrated after the incident, having been hit with a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points. When asked if the contact was intentional, Verstappen replied: "Does it matter?" He later added, "Yeah, OK. That’s great. I prefer to speak about the race rather than one single moment." The Express reports that Brookes then praised Verstappen’s talent, but her next comment appeared to irritate the 27-year-old.
"It’s horrible to see that shine taken off, for fans and the kids watching," she said, before Verstappen responded, "Well, that’s your opinion. We’ll leave it there." The video of the interview gained significant attention on social media, with many fans offering their opinions on Verstappen’s contact with Russell and the subsequent penalties he received. However, a number of negative comments were also directed towards Brookes, with some members of Verstappen’s passionate fanbase crossing the line.
In response to the abuse, Brookes announced on her Instagram account that she would be disabling comments, tags, and mentions on her social media accounts. "I will be posting on here as usual but comments/tags/mentions on here and on X have been disabled for the foreseeable future due to the enormous amounts of vile abuse I was sent after the Spanish GP," she posted from Montreal. "I may switch them back on at a later date but for now, they will stay off." The Express understands that Brookes’ decision to disable comments was made to protect herself from further abuse.
This is not the first time Verstappen has been involved in a heated exchange with a Sky Sports F1 reporter. One race on from Brookes’ difficult chat with Verstappen, Ted Kravitz also found himself on the wrong side of the reigning world champion. Kravitz accused the pit lane reporter of ‘singling out’ Red Bull’s senior race strategy engineer, Stephen Knowles, over the Russell incident. "I think it’s not really nice to try and single out a person, because that’s never the case," Verstappen fumed. "I think we just look at it as a team, what we always can do better, and that’s also how we look at it in Barcelona. But it’s not fair to now single out one single person."
Verstappen’s interview drama was not limited to his exchanges with Brookes and Kravitz. In the post-qualifying press conference, he described a question from Tom Clarkson about super license penalty points as "childish", cutting the press conference anchor off mid-sentence. The Express reports that Verstappen’s behaviour has raised concerns about the pressures faced by drivers in the Formula 1 paddock.
The incident highlights the challenges faced by reporters in the high-pressure world of Formula 1, where tensions can run high and emotions can boil over. As the Express previously reported, Brookes’ experience is a stark reminder of the abuse that reporters can face when covering high-profile sporting events.
In a statement, Sky Sports F1 said they were "aware of the situation" and were "looking into it". The incident has sparked a wider debate about the pressures faced by reporters and the need for greater respect and understanding in the Formula 1 paddock. As the sport continues to grow in popularity, it is essential that drivers, teams, and fans alike recognise the importance of treating reporters with respect and professionalism.
For now, Brookes has taken steps to protect herself from further abuse, disabling comments on her social media accounts. However, the incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by reporters in the high-pressure world of Formula 1. As the Express reported earlier, the incident has raised concerns about the behaviour of some drivers and fans in the sport.
Rachel Brookes and her team at Sky Sports F1 are looking forward, vowing to continue bringing top-notch coverage to F1 fans worldwide.
