Sky F1’s David Croft to skip Azerbaijan GP, Harry Benjamin steps in for Baku
David Croft won’t be on the mic in Baku. Sky Sports F1’s lead commentator is sitting out this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Harry Benjamin taking over play-by-play duties on the streets of the capital.
It’s not a shock move so much as part of a sensible rotation. With Formula 1’s 24-race slog now the norm, broadcasters have adopted their own version of load management. Croft has been among those pacing the calendar since 2024, missing a handful of rounds each season. He was absent for Austria and Emilia Romagna earlier this year, and skipping Azerbaijan keeps his 2025 pattern in step with last season’s trio.
Last year, Croft was candid about why he’s trimming the travel diary, noting he’d spent decades living out of a suitcase and wanted to claw back some family time. No melodrama, just a veteran making the marathon more sustainable.
Benjamin, meanwhile, continues his steady rise through Sky’s ranks. The BBC Radio 5 Live F1 lead since 2022, he first crossed into Sky’s TV commentary box during the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix as part of the broadcaster’s F1 Kids experiment, then took the lead role for the first time at Imola last season, calling Max Verstappen’s narrow win over Lando Norris. Before that came a grounding in Porsche Supercup and Formula 3, plus the sort of voice work and acting training (RADA, no less) that explains his easy on-air cadence.
Baku is an intriguing stage for him. It’s a street circuit with sharp edges and a monster straight, a place where the radio chat gets spicy and the timing screens tend to light up late. It asks for energy without chaos in the booth — and Benjamin’s style has been trending in exactly that direction: quick, clear, and just enough zest when the walls start closing in.
Croft is expected back for Singapore the following weekend, and the plan is for him to see out the remaining run of races from there to the end of the 2025 season.
Nothing seismic here, then. Just a broadcast baton pass for a weekend — and another chance to hear how the next generation of F1 voices handles one of the calendar’s trickiest calls.
