Supercars legend Mark Skaife has appeared to take a swipe at chief executive James Warburton as he broke his silence on his axing from the commentary box.
After nearly 15 years as the sport’s leading voices, Skaife and Neil Crompton were controversially kicked out of the box following last year’s season-ender in Adelaide.
While Crompton addressed the rumours in January – well before any kind of announcement was made from Supercars – it took until Wednesday night and two race meetings into the new season for Skaife to finally speak out.
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Speaking on Fox Sports’ new Motorsport 360 program, Skaife briefly addressed the move, confirming it was a “captains call” from Warburton – a move Skaife claimed he has “a bit of form” in making.
Mark Skaife in 2024. Getty
“It’s one of the things for me, with Neil Crompton and I not being in the commentary box, we’re seeing (the sport) from a different angle,” he said.
“It’s been a bit awkward, to be honest. It probably wasn’t really handled that well for Neil and I.
“There’s a bit of form there because it sort of reminds me a bit of the AFL with Bruce McAvaney and Leigh Matthews being outed from the commentary box in the Channel 7 days. It was a captain’s call.”
“What I would like to say is thank you to James Warburton, because it’s definitely helped my boxing regime and my golf handicap. I’ve got a lot more time at the moment.”
Warburton was chief executive of Seven West Media between 2019-2024. McAvaney announced at the start of 2021 he had called his last AFL match.
Supercars chief executive James Warburton. Getty
Skaife and Crompton are being replaced by a rotating roster of callers throughout the 2026 season. Chad Neylon and reigning Bathurst 1000 champion Garth Tander were the leads for the first two events in Sydney and the Australian Grand Prix, and it’s expected Richard Craill, Matt Naulty, as well as former Supercars champions James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom, will also appear in the box this year.
Fans’ biggest gripes were that neither Skaife nor Crompton were given a proper farewell, or the chance themselves to say goodbye.
Wide World of Sports understands both men knew in Adelaide it was their final race meeting in the box.
The Supercars championship will continue in Taupō, slap-bang in the middle of New Zealand’s north island, for the first of a New Zealand double header on April 10-12. The series then heads to Ruapuna, just outside Christchurch, a week later.