Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes was forced to pull out of coverage of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after undergoing emergency surgery on her appendix.
Brookes has been a regular on Sky’s Formula 1 coverage for more than a decade and was due to appear in front of the camera again this weekend.
However, she was not seen on television as she had to undergo surgery on Tuesday after experiencing pain upon arrival in the country.
The 50-year-old woman posted a message on social media explaining her absence and thanked a number of people for their support and treatment.
Brookes wrote on Instagram: ‘So I landed here Tuesday night feeling unwell. I thought it was just nasty food poisoning but yesterday I found out I had appendicitis and needed surgery.
Rachel Brookes was forced to withdraw from Sky Sports’ coverage of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Brookes was forced to undergo emergency surgery on her appendix on the eve of the race
“I’ve had the appendectomy and everything is fine. I just want to say a massive thank you to all my colleagues at Sky Sports F1 for getting up, stepping in and sending so many messages. We really do have the best team!
‘And also Sky as a company that has done everything possible to give me the best care and brought my sister in for support. So, that’s actually why I wasn’t in the news this weekend… see you in Texas.’
In another post on her Instagram Story, she added: “And the biggest thank you to the wonderful staff of Liv Bona Dea Hospital in Baku.
‘I couldn’t have felt in safer hands. From my surgeon, Elgun, to my anesthesiologist, Madina, to all the nurses who downloaded Translate so we could communicate.
‘To Ayshan, Yazgul, Shovgia, Humay and Osman – you were more than any patient could ask for. Also to Formula Medicine and all the medical staff at Baku Circuit, you were fantastic.’
In addition to Brookes, Sky’s regular F1 commentator David Croft was also absent from Baku as he is currently on honeymoon after recently getting married.
