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F1 fans were left raging after British broadcaster Sky Sports decided to retain former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick in its punditry ahead of the 2025 season. The American has made a name for herself, racing in top categories in the USA in over a decade-long career which began in 2005.
She is the only female driver to win an IndyCar race in the series' history courtesy of her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 and remains the most successful female driver in American open-wheel racing despite retiring at the end of 2018.
Ever since hanging up her gloves, Patrick has made several media appearances and stayed active in the motorsport community. She became a pundit in F1 after the 2021 US Grand Prix and made frequent appearances with the Sky Sports team during the North American leg of races.
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However, she has drawn heavy criticism from fans and some fellow pundits alike for her views on several subjects, such as the lack of women drivers on the track and politics
She was even removed from Netflix's F1 series Drive To Survive, Season 7, much to the delight of the fans after making appearances in the previous season. However, F1 fans were disappointed when the Sky Sports F1 team decided to retain Patrick on its payroll for pundits ahead of the 2025 season.
F1 fans took to social media to share their reactions to Patrick's inclusion for Sky Sports on X, with one fan saying:
"Why haven’t you gotten rid of Danica Patrick?!?!?!"
"Please get rid of Danica."
"Danica Patrick needs to be binned off. Terrible pundit and even worse political opinions."
"It's a disgrace that Danica is there. Even if you wanted to overlook her extra-curricular activities (to put it mildly), her contributions are woeful and impact the quality of your broadcasts."
"Why does Danica Patrick still have a job? Couldn't find a woman within the F1 family to give the opportunity too?" asked a fan.
"Blows my mind that you guys still insist on keeping Danica. Nobody wants her there," claimed another.
"Was desperately hoping that the intro of Jamie Chadwick meant no more Danica Patrick," wrote another.
When Danica Patrick gave her opinion on the lack of women drivers in F1
Former IndyCar driver and F1 pundit Danica Patrick previously stated that the odds of women reaching the pinnacle of motorsport were not in their favor.
At the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, the 42-year-old joined a teen-led F1 broadcast designed for children and said (via PlanetF1):
“As I’ve always said in my whole career, it takes 100 guys to come through to find a good one, and then it takes 100 girls. That takes a long time to find a good one, right? It just, the odds are not in favor of there always being one or being many of them.”
She was criticized by former F1 driver David Coulthard on her take as he believed that women had the same chance of making it to the sport as men.
