Revealed: Why David Croft isn’t on Sky F1 duty at the Imola Grand Prix
David Croft has been Sky F1's lead commentator since the start of 2012
Sky F1 commentator David Croft will be absent from this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, with Harry Benjamin taking his place.
Croft has served as lead commentator since Sky Sports secured the Formula 1 broadcast rights in the UK and Ireland ahead of the 2012 season, forming a partnership in the commentary box with former F1 racer Martin Brundle.
Why isn’t David Croft commentating on Imola?
With the F1 calendar expanding to a record 24 races in 2024, Croft missed a select number of races for the first time as a Sky F1 commentator, sitting out the Emilia Romagna, Austrian and Azerbaijan grands prix as Harry Benjamin stepped in.
Croft, 54, confirmed in March that he will miss the same three races again in F1 2025, with Benjamin set for his first Sky F1 appearance of the season at Imola this weekend.
Explaining his decision to miss a trio of races in 2024, Croft said: “I’m not getting any younger.
“I’ve given up and sacrificed a lot for my career. I want to give a bit of time back to my family and not be on the other side of the world.”
Who is Harry Benjamin?
Harry Benjamin is a rising star of motorsport broadcasting having led BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage of F1 since the 2022 season.
Benjamin has a background in the performance arts industry, training as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performing in the West End before switching to a career in media production in 2019.
After starting out as the host of a range of minor motorsport events, Benjamin became the lead presenter of F1 support series F2, F3 and the Porsche Super Cup on grand prix weekends in 2021.
Benjamin has also worked as a voiceover artist for Arsenal, the prestigious English football club, as well as acting as host on the main stage at the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Sky F1 in depth: Best Formula 1 pundits ranked
? Ranking the best pundits in F1: Brundle, Rosberg, Hill and more all rated
? F1 Grid Walk of Shame: Machine Gun Kelly latest addition to celebrity sh*tlist
He has also featured in Drive to Survive, Netflix’s widely acclaimed F1 docuseries, as well as serving as the lead commentator for the inaugural season of the all-female junior category F1 Academy.
Benjamin made his commentary debut for Sky F1 at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix as part of the broadcaster’s ‘F1 Kids’ initiative, which saw Sky F1 televise a special children’s broadcast of the race as an alternative to the main commentary provided by David Croft and Martin Brundle.
Benjamin stepped in to the main Sky F1 commentary booth for the first time at the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.
He made two further appearances that season in Austria and Azerbaijan.
Is David Croft missing any other races this year?
David Croft will return to the Sky F1 commentary box for the next round of the F1 2025 season, the Monaco Grand Prix, on May 23-25.
As in 2024, however, Croft will miss two further races this year with Harry Benjamin set to take his place in Austria and Azerbaijan.
The Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, will take place in the weekend of June 27-29.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku street circuit is scheduled for September 19-21.
Read next: FIA issue Flavio Briatore statement after surprise Alpine twist
