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Danica Patrick has explained the reason behind her surprise exit from the Sky Sports F1 pool of pundits.

The former IndyCar and NASCAR star joined Sky's on-screen pundits team in 2021, usually serving at races in the Americas, with her last appearance being the 2025 United States GP in Austin.

On Wednesday, RacingNews365 confirmed that the 43-year-old would be parting ways with Sky ahead of the new season, with well-placed sources indicating that Patrick herself had initiated her departure.

Patrick herself has now confirmed this.

"I called after the season last year and just said it was time for me to move on," Patrck told the AP.

"I felt like I had taken in a great experience in F1 and was ready to have more time for other projects and interests.

"I am building a new company. I am also new to a couple of boards with big plans, and very busy punishing myself by learning new sports like tennis, golf, and skiing.

"I had an amazing time with the Sky Sports team. They were the reason I did it for so long. It was a lot of work — more than being a driver in many ways during a race weekend — especially in terms of time commitment at the track.

"However, as a group, we made it fun. I also learned a lot about F1 and the drivers and became a much bigger fan, so that was fun too.

"The sport of F1 is very entertaining. My favourite part is the team principals. They understand the assignment of good television while obviously being incredible at running race teams."

She also took to social media to announce her departure.

Patrick, who in 2008 became the first woman to win an IndyCar race, has proved controversial in recent years for some of her views, including spreading conspiracy theories about alien life.

She also hosted a roundtable with now US vice-president JD Vance ahead of the November 2024 election, when he was running mate to Donald Trump, who was re-elected as the 47th president, with Patrick a keen supporter of the Republican.