The return of the US GP for 2025 meant quietly meant a chance at redemption for Danica Patrick. Since joining the Sky Sports F1 commentary team in 2021, criticism has followed the IndyCar champion; so much so, it even had Blake Hinsley, a former Red Bull employee, asking fans to turn off the TV in a playful jab.

But looks like Patrick failed to hold on to the opportunity yet again. “Tears in my f—–g eyes man,” one of the fans expressed as the 43-year-old attempted to break down a crash between Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

During lap seven on Sunday, Sainz attempted to pass Antonelli on the inside of Turn 15 — a common overtaking point. But in trying to dive down the inside before the apex, the Williams driver made contact with Antonelli. Sainz suffered enough damage to force him to retire from the race. The Brackley machinery, on the other hand, got away with minor damage, finishing P13. Simon Lazenby asked for her perspective in the post-race show, Patrick’s response left fans 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. It was another swing and a miss for Patrick, who holds a list of those.

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

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. “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,” he’d shoot back.

That exchange, rooted in her limited F1 wheel time compared to her 100+ IndyCar starts, amplified doubts about her fit. Now with Sainz’s mistake still fresh, her vague take felt like salt in the wound. With  sharper voices like ex-driver Karun Chandhok being good prospects, fans argue why recycle the same pundit when fresh takes could elevate the coverage?

Fans want Danica Patrick 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.

“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 GP unchallenged, such “entertainment” feels like a pit stop too far.