Sky Sports has drawn intense backlash over its operation in the Formula 1 paddock, a relationship tied to multi-millionaire contracts between the British broadcasters and the sport.
In 2022, the channel extended its exclusive deal with Formula One Management until the end of 2029.
The network has exclusive access to gridwalks, team radios and direct interviews with drivers, often before other media get access.
Journalists from Sky are also often the first to be informed about important news. Even though Sky Sports operates formally independently, it has perfectly inserted itself in the sports.
Despite the dependent relationship between the two, the paddock has observed some irritation with the way the channel operates.
During the Hungary Grand Prix weekend, multiple sources informed GPBlog that the irritation with Sky reached the highest level after the viral moment between the channel's analyst Nico Rosberg and Jos Verstappen was observed.
On the grid prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, Nico rushed live on television to Jos, confronting him with an old statement, "Last year, you said Horner needs to go because he’s destroying the team."
The Dutch driver and father of Max Verstappen responded by stating that the situation had changed since then, adding, "That was one and a half years ago. It's different. I have nothing to say. It’s fine."
Notably, the inconsiderate comment about former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner led to severe backlash from the sporting world.
