Natalie Pinkham pulled out of presenting duties at the Brazilian Grand Prix as she recovers from neck surgery, but was well enough to watch Brentford vs Newcastle United with Daniel Ricciardo

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Natalie Pinkham seen in the stands at Brentford vs Newcastle United with husband Owain Walbyoff and F1 icon Daniel Ricciardo(Image: Sky Sports)

Daniel Ricciardo was a surprise guest on the screens of Sky Sports viewers watching Premier League action on Sunday. The former Formula 1 fans’ favourite was shown by the TV cameras in the stands at the Gtech Community Stadium, watching Brentford secure a home victory against Newcastle United.

And he was not the only famous face in the shot that quickly circulated on social media. Seen next to bearded former racer Ricciardo was Natalie Pinkham, the Sky Sports F1 presenter who is currently off work while she recovers from neck surgery.

Pinkham was due to travel to Brazil for this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but told fans on her social media accounts that she had been unable to make the journey. She told followers: “I had hoped to be on a flight to Brazil yesterday, but the last couple of months have been trickier than I expected following neck surgery; and I am not there just yet.”

Mirror Sport understands Sky Sports chiefs had to make hasty changes to their presenter schedule to make sure they were covered on the ground in Sao Paulo. Reporters Craig Slater and Ted Kravitz shared presenting duties on Friday for practice and Sprint qualifying, while lead presenter Simon Lazenby flew out in time to take the reins from Saturday.

Pinkham hopes to be back in action soon and was well enough to turn up at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday. She was seen next to Ricciardo, who recently announced his racing retirement after losing his place on the F1 grid in 2024, and her husband Owain Walbyoff.

Pinkham is a Brentford fan and a regular at their home games when not travelling around the globe to cover F1. She would have been delighted with the result as her beloved Bees came from behind to beat Newcastle 3-1.

Harvey Barnes opened the scoring in the first half to send the Magpies into the break with a slender lead. But Brentford piled on the pressure in the second 45 and levelled things up when Kevin Schade headed home from a long throw-in.

Brentford were denied a penalty when Dan Burn appeared to trip Dango Ouattara, but referee Stuart Attwell believed the Burkina Faso forward had dived and showed him a yellow card – a decision not overturned by VAR despite replays showing clear contact between them.

But they would get their penalty when Burn again brought down Ouattara, this time earning a second yellow card. Igor Thiago made no mistake from the spot and sealed the win in added time, after Rico Henry had prevented a Newcastle equaliser with a sliding block to stop Anthony Elanga who looked certain to score.

It was entertaining viewing for Ricciardo, who confirmed in September that he had stepped away from professional motorsport. The Aussie has taken up a new role as a brand ambassador for Ford Racing and said: “I couldn’t be more excited for all the amazing drives ahead with Ford and for all the incredible projects Ford Racing has in its pipeline.”