For the second instalment in this series I've been lucky enough to talk to the 2022 voice of FIA Formula 3, Harry Benjamin!
Harry has been F3's lead commentator since the start of 2022, but has also covered many other racing series' like Euroformula, Formula 1 and Formula 2 among others as well as presenting for F1TV and many other outlets within and outwith the motor racing world.
With no further ado, Harry's answers to my questions!
Job title: Commentator/Presenter
How long have you been doing this: As a commentator, since April 2021. As a presenter, since I was 21, so about 4-5 years ago!
1. For someone who doesn’t know you and maybe ended up on your website you immediately come across as a funny, likeable person; How important are first impressions in the motorsport world? Pretty important! It's very much a people business. I personally like to try bring the feeling when I'm talking that it's just like a chat you could be having with a friend. You just have to kind of be yourself, one of the first things I was told was "don't be a dick"! Hahaha!
Sound advice.
2. Your first step into racing included running your own motorsport blog; what was the hardest thing about doing that? So I started that at school when I was about 17 or 18 as part of a 'journalism enrichment programme'. I tried to find what was different so I was always fascinated with backmarkers and I was a fan of Paul Di Resta and Charles Pic so I found myself following them a lot! A lot of people don't seem to like Paul but I think he's great! I always found the more niche stuff got better hits than going straight for the familiar stuff that everyone else writes about.
📸 A marmite character in F1; Paul Di Resta in Force India trim, whether you like him or not!
📸 Another F1 backmarker, Charles Pic; now the owner of F2 team DAMS.
3. What was the best thing about choosing that direction to start with? It gave me an outlet. It was a means to get started in motorsport and I could write whatever I wanted. At the time I didn't really know what else to do.
4. You have experience as both a TV presenter and as a voice on commentary for radio and TV, how do the two differ? On the radio I find you have to be a lot more descriptive and you're not confined to pictures so you can talk a lot more freely. For presenting it can be a lot more about how you look, but there are very different types of presenting. Both are very much about keeping the show going.
5. You also host a podcast, what’s your favourite thing about doing that? There are two! MotorMouth is great because I talk to people from all areas of motorsport from World Champions to other driver and Team Principals. One of my favourites was talking to a former deputy Team Principal who had initially been brought in to help kind of steady the ship financially but ended up in the top job! The MotoGP show is great too, I've learned a lot about the series and it's really exciting.
📸 Harry's podcasts include a foray into MotoGP.
6. You can include a number of series’ in your catalogue of commentary gigs: How did you find your British GT comms experience and would he return for more? It was brilliant! I got the call up the day before but I wasn't the lead commentator so it wasn't as scary! It was the series finale and it was incredibly exciting. If they want me back, I'd love that!
📸 Harry's British GT stint was "brilliant" and featured some...
...interesting sponsors.
7. You’re probably now best known as the F3 commentator, what’s been the best F3 moment you’ve covered so far? Difficult question! F3 has been absolutely mental, the confusion around the end of the season this year really stands out, while we were all wondering if Victor Martins had won after the red flag as penalties were still being handed out! Another would be the Imola weekend; we had Maloney spin on a safety car restart, Stanek took his rookie win and there was a big collision with Isack Hadjar and Caio Collet right at the end. I'll also mention Bahrain, but because that was the first time I'd been all on my own right at the start of a new season!
📸 ART's Victor Martins was confirmed as this year's FIA Formula 3 Champion at Monza...eventually.
📸 F3's visit to Imola was very memorable.
8. The entire F3 season was absolutely blockbuster with so many great moments; how good a feeling was it to be the voice of the series? It was great. An honour. I think it's in a way a lot more prestigious than getting to commentate on F1, not everybody that commentates, get to do these series or cover this level. To be the one, to voice it, to know your stuff, brings pressure but I'm proud to cover it and to be the voice of the series.
9. Quite often we don’t see what’s going on further back in the field; What drivers on the F3 grid outside the top 10 caught your eye the most? I always kind of supported/enjoyed watching Reece Ushijima, he ended up doing a really good job. Kush Maini stands out too, he did really well having had time out of racing, and could have been better if not for some 'procedural mistakes'. Juan Manuel Correa, who is still in a way recovering from that really awful crash, Jonny Edgar who had to drop out briefly to cope with Crohn's and came back a better driver and William Alatalo who was really strong are all worth mentioning too. It was such a competitive year, there are so many I could have picked out.
📸 Juan Manuel Correa picked up a podium with ART as he continues his comeback.
📸 Reece Ushijima impressed Harry this year with Van Amersfoort Racing.
10. Do you start rooting for certain drivers? Always the underdogs! You just always want to see a good race!
11. 40 drivers featured in total this year, who are the ones that didn’t get enough recognition? Francesco Pizzi? Pepe Marti? I'll say Pizzi. His pace was excellent and he was very unlucky most of the season.
📸 Italian star Francesco Pizzi impressed Harry this year.
📸 Pepe Marti(#22), also caught Harry's eye.
12. Who are you excited to see in F3 next year? Pizzi again hopefully. Ushijima, Maini and Alatalo again too, and Zak O'Sullivan.
📸 O'Sullivan is expected to be a part of the F3 grid again next year.
13. I personally expect next years F3 grid will feature a lot of rookies, who would you like to see in there? Paul Aron for sure, who has already been confirmed by PREMA. Sebastian Montoya would count as a rookie right? He should be good with what looks like Red Bull backing coming his way too, and Oliver Goethe too. Hadrien David, Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Mini should all step up from FRECA too so they should be very good.
📸 Son of F1 legend Juan Pablo; Sebastian Montoya should make a wave in F3 in 2023.
14. Who from this year’s grid do you think would benefit from doing another year in F3? Edgar, Maini, Ushijima and Goethe.
📸 Back in F3 in 2023? Kush Maini beat expectations with MP Motorsport.
15. Who are the top three drivers below F3 level that can go right to the top? That's a hard one but Andrea Kimi Antonelli immediately springs to mind, beyond him who's been so strong this year it's hard to pick out more.
📸 2022 Italian and ADAC F4 Chanpion Andrea Kimi Antonelli is huge talent.
16. What was it like covering F1 for the BBC and F1TV? Oh it was mega. Really nerve racking, challenging. They(The BBC) certainly didnt start me off easy with Australia but it was an absolute dream come true. I got the call and screamed in my car after I put the phone down. Your basic knowledge is really challenged and I'm really proud of myself for standing up to the task. F1TV for Japan was different but it was really good, once we got round all the on track issues.
📸 Harry covered this years exciting and controversial Japanese Grand Prix.
17. What’s been the proudest moment in your career so far? Definitely the BBC. I'd gone for being the runner, the tea boy years back with Jennie Gow to working alongside them, it was probably the biggest break I've had. Hosting my own radio show was great too, and producing one too, but the BBC is the standout. I'd actually just finished an endurance race when I got the call!
📸 Harry shared this image from his time as a runner for the BBC on his social media as he made his F1 commentary coverage debut for the same channel.
18. What’s the hardest part of being a commentator? I would say that....'s a really good question! I'll say feeling like you're prepped enough. It feels like revising for a test in the run up to it. Managing your energy too actually, you can't be at 100% the whole time so just making sure you've got the energy to keep doing for the whole race was and still is important, especially in the action packed races.
19. What’s the best thing about it? Being able to talk about racing with racers! To be a part of the race, the race weekend. It's all very awesome.
20. As a racing fan, I’ve collected a few items like mini helmets, scale cars and other little things; as a fan yourself, is there anything you collect? I used to collect a lot more than I have now but I do have some. I've got a selection of Paul Di Resta cars, some Kamui Kobayashi, a few more backmarkers, and a model of Gen 1 Formula E car too!
📸 Gen 1 Formula E cars look very different to what we're now accustomed to.
Thanks so much for the chat Harry! I'd love to talk more with him again soon, he was great to talk to, with a lot of insight and a lot to say and I'm sure, still plenty to say!
📸 Image credit(s): Harry Benjamin, Sky Sports, Formula Motorsport Limited, PREMA Racing, Charouz Racing System, Formula E, Francesco Pizzi, Jose Maria Marti, MotoGP.
Comments