Former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick didn’t feature on Sky Sports F1’s broadcast team list for the 2026 season, leading to reports of her parting ways with the broadcaster. As the 43-year-old took to Instagram and broke the silence on her departure from Sky Sports, F1 commentator David Croft reacted to it.
After concluding her motorsport career in 2018 with the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 being her last races in NASCAR and IndyCar, respectively, Patrick joined NBC’s Indy 500 broadcast team. Just a couple of years later, she got her F1 broadcast gig with Sky Sports F1’s team for the 2021 US GP.
Since then, Danica Patrick featured on Sky’s F1 team for multiple races, but mostly for the races in America, i.e., the US GP, Las Vegas GP, and Miami GP. The 43-year-old is a well-recognized figure in the US, becoming the first female to win an IndyCar race and leading laps at the Daytona 500.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Sky Sports F1 released the list of their team, and Patrick’s name was off it. The former IndyCar driver took to Instagram and confirmed that she parted ways with the broadcaster as it was time for her to “move on.”
Danica Patrick uploaded images from her first F1 gig with Sky Sports at the 2021 US GP, with a caption that read,
“From my first @skysportsf1 race in Austin to my last 5 years later… I had such a blast! The sky team was so much fun (thank you all), I saw so many amazing new race tracks and cities, and got to be part of a huge boom in F1!”
“I called after the last race in 2025 and said it was time for me to move on and I was so grateful for the opportunity and experience I was given! ….and now due to my deep exposure to F1, I will be glued to my tv for the season starting this weekend, like every other fan,” she added
David Croft, better known as Crofty, who’s been serving as the lead commentator for Sky Sports’ F1 broadcast since 2012, reacted to Danica Patrick’s post about parting ways with the British media group as he liked the post.
Danica Patrick’s professional career timeline: IndyCar, NASCAR, broadcasting gigs, and now politics
Danica Patrick raced in the Formula Ford championship, where she met Bobby Rahal, who was then a Team Principal at Jaguar F1. Once she returned to the US, Rahal gave Danica her big IndyCar break for Rahal Letterman Racing (now Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing).
After only a couple of years racing for Bobby Rahal, she made the move to Michael Andretti’s team, where she raced for the next five seasons, and won her only IndyCar race, i.e., the 2008 Indy Japan 300.
She joined NASCAR in 2012 and primarily raced for Stewart-Haas Racing, taking the pole position at the 2013 Daytona 500. However, her stint in NASCAR wasn’t as successful as her IndyCar stint, and she retired at the end of the 2018 season.
Danica Patrick then took up broadcasting gigs, featuring on NBC’s Indy 500 broadcast, Sky Sports F1’s broadcast team, and most recently FOX’s broadcast team for the 109th running of the Indy 500.
The 43-year-old also supported Donald Trump during the 2024 US Presidential elections and even spoke on behalf of the President. She became a speaker at Turning Point USA and supports Trump via posts on her social media accounts.
Danica Patrick also has a podcast named “Pretty Intense” as well as a Napa Valley vineyard named Somnium.
Edited by Pranay Bhagi
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