Pat Symonds joins Sky’s F1 team

Pat Symonds has joined Sky’s Formula 1 team for the 2017 season, the broadcaster has confirmed.

Symonds, who previously worked as Chief Technical Officer at Williams and Renault, joins Sky’s line up which remains unchanged. Sky say he will provide commentary alongside Martin Brundle and David Croft on a number of races including the Australian Grand Prix.

Sky Sports Head of F1, Martin Turner said: “Pat will make a brilliant addition to our team, bringing a wealth of experience to Sky Sports F1. His knowledge, expertise and passion will add another dimension to our analysis and enhance the viewing experience for fans as they seek to understand the new cars and regulations. In this era of Formula 1 there is no-one better to explain it.”

Pat Symonds commented: “I have always been impressed with the quality and innovation of Sky’s F1 coverage. It feels like a really exciting time to join the team ahead of such an unpredictable season and with all races being shown in UHD, it will be even more visually dramatic at every turn.”

Symonds is an excellent technical addition to Sky’s team and further bolsters their line-up. It is a natural growth step and helps differentiate Sky from Channel 4, who does not have a dedicated technical expect. Further details were confirmed about Sky’s coverage this season in a Facebook Live session. Natalie Pinkham noted that she would be travelling to all the European rounds, with Rachel Brookes covering the flyaway races and Azerbaijan for the channel.

In addition, Anthony Davidson confirmed his own commitments. He said, “I’m only doing five races this year, the first of which will be Barcelona. The World Endurance Championship clashes with so many F1 races and the ones that don’t directly clash, it’s like an ‘in between’ weekend of two F1 races so you have to look at the calendar. You have to be realistic and think about how burnt out you are going to be. In the first year when WEC grew in 2013, I had committed to doing 15 races with Sky, it almost killed me, you’ve got to be careful with how you manage it.”