Danica Patrick‘s presence in the broadcast booth has been much more happening than her racing career. While she never formally raced in Formula 1, she was an expert on Sky F1’s broadcast over the past five seasons, which did not sit well with many fans over the years. They found her analysis to be weak and irrational, and she often faced backlash in her work. As the broadcaster announced their pundits for the 2026 season, however, many took a sigh of relief.

Danica Patrick absent from updated F1 panel

Sky Sports is Formula 1’s biggest broadcaster (after their official broadcasting services). Their expert panel consists of some of the sport’s most legendary names, including former drivers Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, and Martin Brundle. Amongst them was also Danica Patrick, whose name has not been featured on this year’s panel.

Evidently, she will not be returning to the Formula 1 paddock in the 2026 season, at least with Sky Sports. This change, while it seems small, has gained an overall positive reaction from the fanbase.

Throughout her years with Sky Sports, Patrick was called out for her inconsistencies in race analysis. Moreover, her expertise on the topic was regularly questioned. One instance that represents the type of fan sentiment against her was seen in 2025 in the Miami GP. She analyzed Lando Norris’ race with an opposite opinion, suggesting that he was struggling whereas he was the most dominant car.

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When it wasn’t these aspects, many pointed out her extreme political ideologies and conspiracy theories that she discussed on her podcast.

For instance, in one of the episodes she teamed up with David Icke to discuss questions about humanity living in a simulation, or our purpose on our planet, and whether we’re alone in this world.

When she appeared on the Tucker Carlson podcast, she revealed that she supported the ‘Chemtrail’ conspiracy, a theory in which says that the long tails of condensation released from aircrafts are actually “chemtrails”.

Overall, it was safe to say that the fans were never really happy with her presence. The current pundits in Formula 1 are experienced. Their race, team, and driver analysis are appreciated by many, and so is their overall persona. The latter becomes an important aspect, considering the wide fanbase F1 has gained in recent years.

At the same time, NASCAR fans also regularly questioned Danica Patrick’s appearance as an expert. Sure, she ran the Cup Series for a long time. While she wasn’t very competitive, she gained enough experience. But F1? As mentioned, she never formally participated in any race, so it was quite apparent why the fans always wondered about her role as an analyst for the sport.

But as her name is struck off ahead of the 2026 F1 season, the fans seem to be amused.

Fans rejoice on social media as Patrick’s name no longer features in F1

“About f***ing time,” a comment read. “I always thought Jensen was going to faint listening to some of the crap she spouted.”

There were quite a few reasons why the fans were never satisfied with Patrick’s presence on the paddock. Some of her claims were rather questionable, including the time she mentioned that Formula 1 was a ‘masculine’ sport.

But there were also times when something outside of racing did not sit well with the fans. Especially the time when she discussed conspiracy theories, including ‘lizard people’ on her Pretty Intense podcast with Elizabeth April. “The green lizard men finally got to her.”

Fans also claimed that she would now take to this podcast to discuss her departure from the expert panel. Some claim that she might end up playing the victim card: “Now she’ll go on a podcast and complain how she’s been ‘cancelled.’”

Many also called Danica Patrick out for her lack of overall Formula 1 knowledge and questionable claims: “Finally, I have no clue how she was every included. She has questionable political and idealistic views but worst of all she was a terrible commentator/TV personality. Added nothing of value and often derailed others mid flow.”

It seems quite apparent that the presence on the F1 paddock wasn’t satisfactory with the fans. While some did find a little bit of humor around it, like a user targeting Alpine’s Flavia Briatore: “I hoped for flavio but this also works,” others were critical of her overall lack of F1 experience and her opinions outside of the sport.

At the same time, however, it was quite surprising for Sky Sports to make the decision, as she had been a regular in many races for the past few years.