Formula 1 fans won’t hear David Croft’s famous “It’s lights out and away we go” at the Imola race this weekend because Harry Benjamin will be taking his place.
Croft, Sky’s lead commentator, will miss his first races since joining in 2012 to spend more time with his family before his wedding. He won’t just miss Imola, but also the Austrian GP and Azerbaijan GP later this season.
Croft, also known as ‘Crofty’, has been a key part of Sky Sports’ commentary team since 2012, never missing a single race until now. He started commentating in F1 in 2006 at BBC Radio 5 Live before moving to Sky Sports.
Harry Benjamin will replace Croft for the Imola GP. Benjamin led Sky Sports F1 Kids broadcast in 2023 and has experience in live F1 commentary, working for F1 TV and BBC Radio 5 Live since 2021.
Benjamin will join Karun Chandhok for commentary at Imola. He’s excited for the opportunity and will fill in for Croft at the Austrian and Azerbaijan GPs later this season.
Croft will return to the commentary box for the Monaco GP on May 26th. He’ll also miss the Austrian GP on June 30th and the Azerbaijan GP on September 15th, with Benjamin filling in again for those races.
