Why Is Aaron Rodgers’ Ex & NASCAR Legend Danica Patrick Disliked by F1 World?

Success often comes with a lot of hate. Max Verstappen’s current success is a great example of this. The Dutchman’s dominance, while appreciated by the Orange army, isn’t boding that well with the other teams, drivers, and fans. However, that’s not really the case when it comes to Aaron Rodgers’ Ex Danica Patrick. But then why is she disliked by the F1 World? Let’s dive into it and learn more about her. 

Danica Patrick has been hosting the F1 coverage for Sky Sports for a while now. While she’s not hosting every race weekend, she is there for a considerable amount. And it is her actions during these race weekends that have led to her dislikable image amongst the F1 fans. But what did she do? Well, to say the least, sexist comments don’t bode that well with F1 fans. 

That’s not all, there are many other reasons why the motorsport world, and not only the F1 world doesn’t like Danica Patrick. Let’s have a look at the former NASCAR and Indycar driver’s history, her post-racing career, and all the controversies in and around her. We’ll also peek at her personal life and figure out what the reasons might be behind her image. 

Who is Danica Patrick? IndyCar Series, NASCAR, and relationship with ex-boyfriend Aaron Rodgers

Danica Sue Patrick is a 41-year-old former professional racing driver. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, she’s one of the most recognizable female racing drivers around the world. Patrick started her Indycar career in 2005 and got her only win at the 2008 Indy Japan 300. This was before she made a move to the American stock car racing series NASCAR, before officially retiring in 2018. 

Read More: Days After Issuing Sexist Remarks, Danica Patrick Takes Controversial Stance on Employing Women in F1

The 2008 Indycar win remained the only highlight of her career. Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets quarterback started dating Danice Patrick in 2017. However, the relationship would come to an end in 2020. It is believed that the two weren’t able to romantically make it work due to their hectic schedule. Nonetheless, Aaron Rodgers still has fond memories of the relationship and recently advised how the relationship was great. Yet she is disliked by the motorsport world?

Danica Patrick’s controversial statements disliked by the F1 community

F1 has been working diligently toward the diversification of motorsports. Not only that, F1 has taken its stand against racism with the We Race as One project. F1 Academy was launched to promote women across all the fields of motorsports. Amid this, if someone makes a controversial comment about anything regarding this, it is sure to receive backlash and hate from the fans. And that’s exactly what Danica Patrick did. During Sky F1’s children broadcast earlier this year, Patrick made a controversial statement that sparked a huge controversy. 

Danice Patrick whilst trying to explain how hard it is for a female racer to rise up the ranks said, “At the end of the day, I think that the nature of the sport is masculine. It’s aggressive. You have to, you know, handle the car – not only just the car because that’s skill, but the mindset that it takes to be really good is something that’s not normal in a feminine mind, a female mind.”

Patrick’s statement advised that motorsport is of an aggressive nature and that it’s not a trait that the female gender necessarily possesses. Many lashed at Patrick for her comments with many questioning what kind of a role model she’s being despite being such a prominent name in motorsports. Many females look up to Patrick as their idol and such comments don’t help any cause. But that’s not all she’s disliked for.

Danica Patrick’s shocking comments about Formula 1

While Indycar and F1 have many things in common including the fact that both are open-wheel racing series, there’s a lot more to F1. Danica Patrick has been spotted making shocking comments many times during her time as a Sky Sports presenter, the most recent one being as recent as the Hungarian GP. Patrick asked Lewis Hamilton, “Was there a difference between the soft, the medium, and the hard tire?” An obvious question that doesn’t need answers and one that put her in hot water with the fans.

Another instance was during the 2022 US GP where Patrick didn’t realize that Charles Leclerc had a penalty and messed up Max Verstappen’s starting position during the post-qualifying interview. And it’s not only limited to these mess-ups. Many question Danica Patrick being in the limelight despite her underwhelming results during her professional career. During her 173 career races, she never finished in the Top 5 and only managed a position in the Top 10 on 7 occasions. Nothing to write home about. 

Do you think the reasons why Danica Patrick is disliked by the F1 world are justified or not?

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