The incident resulted in their suspension after making offensive comments during the broadcast of the Spanish Grand Prix. Federica Masolin, former presenter of Sky F1 in Italy, opened up about her personal struggle following a sexist scandal involving her colleagues, Davide Valsecchi and Matteo Bobbi, in 2023. The incident led to their suspension after making derogatory comments during the broadcast of the Spanish Grand Prix, but both returned to their positions four weeks later. The controversy arose from a comment by Bobbi about a nearby woman, insinuating she was an “upgrade package”, to which Valsecchi jokingly replied about not being able to “test them”, indicating a sexist tone in their conversation. Valsecchi later announced his departure from Sky Italia’s F1 coverage for 2024, and Masolin also left her position in F1, which she had held for a decade, to lead the channel’s coverage of the Champions League. They were replaced by Davide Camicioli and Vicky Piria, former W Series driver, for the new season.During an episode of Gianluca Gazzoli’s BSMT podcast, Masolin shared her distress about the criticism, defending Valsecchi and Bobbi, stating that their comments were not meant to offend. She described her close relationship with both, portraying Valsecchi as a “clumsy brother” and Bobbi as a “nice guy”, and emphasized that her comments were made in a playful manner during a long day of live broadcast and were not intended to belittle anyone. Masolin highlighted the camaraderie and family atmosphere within the Sky F1 team, suggesting that the comments were made in a lighthearted way. Despite receiving support within the organization, both Valsecchi and Bobbi publicly apologized for their comments, acknowledging the inappropriate nature of their jokes and expressing regret to those who were offended. Valsecchi used Instagram to convey his apologies, especially to women and to Sky, while Bobbi used Twitter to express his remorse, emphasizing his respect for women and his commitment to personal growth and professional improvement.
