Explained: Why Danica Patrick is facing F1 fan backlash for her appearance on the US GP broadcast

Danica Patrick is a retired IndyCar and NASCAR racer who has a vast CV backing her punditry venture in the F1 realm. However, returning to the broadcast at the United States GP race weekend, she faced backlash from fans, continuing with the trends of almost every race weekend that she has been present at.

Patrick started her premier open-wheel racing career in the IndyCar realm in 2005, and she immediately hit the ground running. The American racer became the first female to lead a lap at the fabled Indy 500 and eventually went on to win a Grand Prix in the series.

After spending years in the series, she decided to move away from the open-wheel racing formula and join NASCAR in 2012. There, she was unable to compete with the rest of the field regularly and claimed only a solitary pole position and seven top-10s in her time in the series.

However, being relatively successful in their racing careers is not a requirement to become an F1 pundit, so what is the reason that has impacted Patrick's perception in the F1 sphere? Let's take a look at some of the reasons that have impaired the 43-year-old's reputation among netizens:

Controversial opinions

Danica Patrick has been at the helm of controversies since she was behind the wheel of a racecar. But her recent involvement in such issues has grown multiple-fold.

In 2023, Patrick revealed that women are not likely to break into the F1 gates due to their feminine mindset. Moreover, this was not the first time that the former NASCAR driver had made such comments and left herself vulnerable to being bashed by fans.

Danica Patrick's lack of F1 acumen

By far the biggest reason seems to be her comments on the F1 broadcast. Patrick's racing mind has not often translated into the best of commentary on the Sky Sports broadcast, which has led fans and even former F1 team members to bicker about her presence on the stream on social media.

On the other hand, her comments at the Canadian GP race weekend revolved around how Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is not the most complicated on the F1 calendar was countered by former F1 champion Nico Rosberg.

Moreover, this was not the last time that another F1 pundit was left discontent with Patrick's words, as this has often happened with Jenson Button on the Sky Sports broadcast. And the 2009 F1 champion is not the only one, as even Martin Brundle had a similar awkward moment earlier in the year after hearing Patrick's comments about the Canadian track.

But all this could be down to her lack of racing experience in the F1 sphere, which could have improved her insight into the sport and potentially driven her away from making such statements. So, these are the biggest reasons that have seemingly tainted Patrick's reputation in the F1 realm.

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Since when has Danica Patrick been working with Sky Sports in the F1 realm?

Jenson Button (L), Danica Patrick, and Simon Lazenby (R) at the 2025 United States GP race weekend - Source: Getty

Danica Patrick became a household name in the United States since her IndyCar debut in 2005 and her maiden win in the series in 2008. She then continued racing until 2018, before she bade adieu to this venture and became a motorsports pundit.

Moreover, her expert role in the motorsport sphere was seemingly kick-started by Sky Sports F1 as she was brought on board as a panelist ahead of the 2021 United States GP race weekend. Since then, she has been a part of Sky Sports' expert panel in the North American races without fail.

With this partnership flourishing this year, Danica Patrick is expected to be present at the Mexican and Las Vegas GP race weekend before the end of the 2025 season.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha