Scott Young is to leave his role as Sky’s Head of Formula 1 after a three year stint with the broadcaster, Motorsport Broadcasting can reveal.
The Australian was a major part of motor sport broadcasting down under for three decades, playing a pivotal role in the V8 Supercars offering at the time.
Young joined Sky following the retirement of Martin Turner in late 2017. Since then, Young has helped Sky navigate the past two Formula 1 seasons, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
At times, Young’s decision making has attracted criticism, however under Young’s leadership, Sky have also brought the likes of 2009 Drivers’ Champion Jenson Button and Karun Chandhok into the F1 line-up.
I understand that Young is to leave Sky following the conclusion of the European season. Whether Young has opted to return to Australia, or move to another company within the F1 sphere, is currently unclear.
Relationship between F1 and Sky
Speaking publicly at the Black Book Motorsport Forum last August, Young denied suggestions that Sky’s relationship with F1 had become ‘strained’ in recent times.
At the time, Young said, “The relationship hasn’t improved because they have not strained,” Young said. “We have an extraordinary relationship with every aspect within Formula 1, including the 10 teams and the 20 drivers. And without that relationship we can’t create a narrative.”
“There’s a daily dialogue that goes back and forth between Sky Sports Formula 1 and the team at Biggin Hill, at a granular level of making television, and the team at St James’s Market on an executive level,” he added.
“Whenever they call us seeking content that they like, we always share it. They’re always very good in providing us content or footage that we need to produce our story.”
Since then, the two parties have been working together on a film to commemorate F1’s 70th anniversary.
Sources suggest this has not gone as well as anticipated, evidenced by the lack of reference to the documentary by F1 themselves across social media, with only a passing mention on Sky’s own social feeds.
Update on May 31st at 16:25 – In response to a request for comment from Motorsport Broadcasting, Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster said “Scott Young has made a huge impact on our F1 coverage and helped drive the team forward since joining at the start of 2018.”
“He will be with us to lead the F1 team through the restart of the season and through the European races before moving on to a new challenge. He goes with our best wishes and thanks for everything he has done during three seasons of F1.”
Contribute to the running costs of Motorsport Broadcasting by donating via PayPal
Motorsport Broadcasting 
Having not been a fan of Sky F1 from the moment it was announced back in 2011, I’m kinda glad to hear that there appears to be some dissension between the two parties. I’ve always been a supporter of free to air coverage and I long for the return of Live races back to where they should be. Somehow I always knew that this deal with Sky would slowly evaporate 🏁
Three years living in England, Young probably wants to go back home. I’m sure Ted Kravitz would be happy to pay his airfare.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass. Don’t say bye, just go already.
I am amazed that this guy was involved in the Australian V8 series, whatever he does clearly has no impact on the actual TV coverage because the V8 coverage has been head and solders and torso above anything F1 related for the last 40 odd years. Seriously, F1 needs to sort out the TV direction, camera operators, commentators, sound, on screen graphics, technical features, everything else. I don’t know how a domestic series manages to do it so well and F1 fails so hard. And they want money for it too.
All of the problems you’ve highlighted are under the control of F1/FOM/LM themselves. Sky buys in the “world feed” which comes already messed up by the above. Scott Young’s job was to run the broadcast outside of the race. So we can’t blame him for everything that is wrong with F1 on screen.
We can blame him for the idiot doing the race commentary.
SKY are at the least complicit in the terrible broadcast, they should be demanding that FOM feed them with cameras that are pointed at the cars, microphones that are mixed correctly, on-board cameras that are in the same space-time continuum as the track side cameras and pit camera men who can hold still.