Danica Patrick has long been a familiar face in motorsports, bringing her IndyCar and NASCAR experience to the commentary booth. However, her appearances with Sky Sports F1 often spark mixed reactions from fans, and her latest stint during the U.S. Grand Prix was no different.

As for her previous misses, at the Canadian GP earlier this year, she called the bumpy Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve “fun” and “not the most complicated track,” drawing a quick pushback from Nico Rosberg. That moment highlighted the gap some fans see between her background and F1’s demands. And the chatter online has turned louder after her latest appearance at COTA, with many wondering if it’s time for a change in the broadcast lineup.

Danica does it again

The 2025 US GP Sprint kicked off with pure chaos at Turn 1, where McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri suffered a heartbreaking double retirement right from the start. Norris, starting strong on the inside, got clipped when Piastri, trying a bold switchback, tangled with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg in the tight pack behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen.

Piastri‘s car took heavy suspension damage, spinning Norris out and ending both McLarens’ days early. No penalties were issued, just racing’s harsh “three into one” reality. It was a gut punch for the team chasing the constructors’ crown, leaving fans glued to the post-race analysis for real insight.

Enter Danica Patrick, whose attempt to break it down left viewers scratching their heads. “Not the best spot to go, you know, like when you make a move in an unusual place, then you get unusual results, kind of like a turn one sprint, right? You make an unusual move and get unusual results. So I don’t know,” she said on Sky Sports, her words trailing off without nailing the sequence or strategy.

Co-anchor Jenson Button’s expression captured the entire mood, as he stared right away into the camera like Jim Halpert from The Office, summarizing the sentiment.

TEARS IN MY FUCKING EYES MAN pic.twitter.com/cOd2eUyOG9

— alyssa ⁴ (@aalvssa_) October 20, 2025

Fans saw it as another swing and miss, echoing her Canadian GP flub where Rosberg shot back, “Montreal is one of the hardest tracks of the year, because there’s so many bumps, and at every kerb you have to hit it so perfectly.” That exchange, rooted in her limited F1 wheel time compared to her 100+ IndyCar starts, fueled early doubts about her fit.

Now, with McLaren’s “double disaster” fresh, her vague take felt like salt in the wound, amplifying demands to bench her for good. These raw reactions from the stands and screens show how deep the frustration runs.

Fans want her out

It’s no secret Sky Sports loves pairing Patrick with Jenson Button for that cross-series spark, but one viewer couldn’t hold back on the dynamic turning awkward. “At this stage, Button is doing it on purpose, and Sky have encouraged it,” pointing to those pained expressions Button flashes during her segments, like the eye-rolls at COTA that went viral.

This also highlights how producers lean into the tension for ratings. Yet for the fans, sometimes such analysis turns into unintended comedy.

Shifting gears, the blunt dismissal hit harder to those tired of this repetition. A frustrated post read, “She talks a load of rubbish. Why do they keep her?” This echoes backlash from her 2023 comments on women in F1, calling it tough due to a “feminine mindset,” which was labeled as sparking “internalized misogyny” debates.

Fans argue Sky overlooks sharper voices like ex-driver Karun Chandhok. It’s a fair gripe; why recycle the same pundit when fresh takes could elevate the coverage?

“She wouldn’t be so bad if she just answered the question and stayed quiet… instead, she goes on and on and on zzzZzz. I get that everyone has an opinion and not everyone will agree… but just give your answer and stop—it’s not the Danica show!”

This plea ties back to her lengthy IndyCar debriefs that once charmed but now drag in F1’s fast clip. Recall her 2018 Daytona farewell race, where post-event chats ran long, charming then, and exhausting now amid 90-minute broadcasts.

The nostalgia for better fits runs deep, fueling outright swaps. One fan vented, “For goodness sake, sack Yankee Doodle Danika and get Natalie and Rachel on camera,” name-dropping hosts Pinkham and Brookes for their steady grid walks.

Patrick’s US roots, from her Wisconsin start to NASCAR’s Southern 500 runs, add that “Yankee” jab, but it misses her grit, like surviving a 2009 IRL flip at Richmond. Still, with Brookes’ rising star in Sky’s paddock, this call feels like a nod to proven reliability over star power.

Finally, a wry twist suggests the chaos might be the point. “What if Sky are just keeping her around for exactly this? For these funny moments of other presenters reacting to her,” one observer quipped, capturing Button’s deadpan stares that lit up X.

It nods to her 2021 Sky debut at COTA, meant to boost US appeal post her Trump rally buzz, but now it risks alienating core viewers. In a sport where Verstappen‘s precision won that sprint unchallenged, such “entertainment” feels like a pit stop too far.