Rachel Brookes lands first new role with F1 team after sudden Sky F1 exit
Rachel Brookes parted ways with Sky Sports in June
Former Sky F1 presenter Rachel Brookes hosted Aston Martin’s The Lawn event at last weekend’s British Grand Prix in her first prominent role since leaving the broadcaster last month.
Brookes announced ahead of June’s Austrian Grand Prix that she had left Sky Sports after more than a decade.
Rachel Brookes worked with Aston Martin at British GP after Sky F1 exit
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
In a post to social media, the presenter confirmed that she would be “moving on to exciting new ventures” and will remain “involved” in Formula 1.
In reaction to Brookes’ departure, a Sky Sports spokesperson told PlanetF1.com: “Rachel has moved on from the Sky Sports F1 team to take on new challenges as we evolve our coverage.
“Rachel has been an asset for the team and we wish her well in her new endeavours.”
PlanetF1.com understands that Brookes’ Sky F1 exit was unrelated to a recent podcast appearance in which she opened up about the online abuse she received following an interview with Max Verstappen in 2025.
Brookes did not respond when approached by PlanetF1.com over the nature of her departure.
Analysis: British Grand Prix
British GP conclusions: Leclerc’s Hamilton answer, no Russell fear, in defence of FIA
British GP 2026 driver ratings: Hamilton penalty, Verstappen crash, Leclerc’s luck
Despite her departure from Sky F1, Brookes attended last weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone where she worked with the Aston Martin team as host of The Lawn.
The Lawn is an annual VIP hospitality and fan event hosted by Aston Martin at the team’s factory, located close to the Silverstone circuit, over the British Grand Prix weekend.
The event saw Brookes take part in a pit stop challenge, with American band Razorlight taking to the stage at the AMR Technology Campus.
Describing The Lawn as “my home for the weekend” in social media post, Brookes wrote: “Big thanks to the crew and to Aston Martin for having me.”
Brookes is known to have a long-standing working relationship with Aston Martin, having hosted the team’s F1 car launches in 2022, 2023 and 2026.
Aston Martin endured a troubled weekend at Silverstone as Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso qualified on the back row of the grid for the fourth successive weekend.
Alonso and Stroll finished 18th and 19th respectively on race day, with Stroll incurring three five-second penalties in the space of nine laps for separate track limits infringements.
Sharing a series of images from The Lawn (below), Brookes said: “Such a fun weekend at The Lawn with Aston Martin and we even made Fernando Alonso smile at the end of a tough day.”
Aston Martin is pinning its hopes for the rest of the F1 2026 season on a major upgrade package set to arrive at the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month.
Adrian Newey, the Aston Martin team principal, recently revealed the first details of the update, which he hopes will herald a “large” step forward for the team.
Aston Martin is targeting a significant weight reduction in Hungary by taking weight out of the chassis and gearbox architecture.
The upgrade will also include changes to the rear suspension, the nose and the car’s aerodynamic surfaces.
An upgrade to the Honda engine is expected to arrive at the Dutch Grand Prix, the first race after the summer break.
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Adrian Newey’s MP4-20 ‘beast’ transformation explains Aston Martin’s unwavering faith
