Who is Harry Benjamin? The Sky F1 commentator replacing David Croft at the Barcelona Grand Prix

When F1 fans in the UK tune in to the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this weekend, they might be surprised not to hear the iconic voice of Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft.

"A race with a new name, no Crofty, what's going on?," they might ask.

But fear not, Croft's absence from this weekend's event at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a planned one, with the broadcaster missing out on a few race weekends each season, after admitting in 2024 that a full 24-race season is too much.

Sky Sports F1 regularly tweak their lineup for race weekends, with even Martin Brundle, Ted Kravitz and Croft missing out sometimes.

Filling the void for the Barcelona GP this weekend will be British presenter and commentator Harry Benjamin, a name that is becoming increasingly familiar to motorsport fans since first taking over from Croft in 2024.

Benjamin usually does three races per season, but hinted during FP1 in Barcelona that he might only be doing one more race weekend with Sky during the 2026 season, barring late changes.

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Who is Harry Benjamin?

Benjamin was born in 1997, and his career in broadcasting began at a young age, with a motorsport blog sparking his passion for the world of racing.

Early on, he hosted shows on Hits Radio, served as Magic Radio's Red Carpet reporter, and even joined the Absolute Breakfast Show team with Dave Berry as a producer whilst still at university.

No doubt he will count being a part of the GPFans podcast as one of his career highlights.

However, Benjamin's foray into the F1 broadcasting scene came in 2021, when he joined F1TV and took on the lead commentator role for Formula 2, Formula 3, as well as the Porsche Supercup.

In 2023, the British presenter took a significant leap forward, becoming the voice of F1 on BBC radio. Simultaneously, he joined Sky Sports F1, leading the inaugural F1 Juniors broadcast, and he also lent his voice to the groundbreaking F1 Academy - the all-female racing series.

Furthermore, Benjamin tackled commentary for various championships including British GT, eSkootr, and Touring Cars.

His voice also lends itself well to commercials and documentaries, having worked with brands like Age UK, Lamborghini, and Arsenal FC.

In addition to this, he hosted live events for the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Silverstone, and the FIA, and joined the cast of the hit Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' as a commentator in season six.

This multi-talented broadcaster even runs his own podcast network, MotorMouth Media, and has dipped his toes into other sports like golf, table tennis, and MotoGP.

Benjamin also has a background in the arts, and trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

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