Ahead of the F2 Italian GP in Monza, John Bennett spoke to the media, including Pit Debrief, about his season so far and expectations for the weekend.
John Bennett’s Formula 2 campaign hit another roadblock at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the British rookie’s race came to a premature end following a collision that damaged his rear suspension and forced an early retirement.
Heartbreak at the Hungaroring
The incident occurred during the chaotic middle stages of Sunday’s Feature Race at the Hungaroring. Bennett, who had been battling through the field, collided with Gabriele Minì whilst fighting for position. The contact proved costly, causing sufficient damage to Bennett’s rear suspension that forced him to return to the pits and retire from the race.
It marked another frustrating weekend for the British driver, who has endured a challenging debut season in F2. Despite the setback, Bennett remains philosophical about his rookie campaign and the learning curve that comes with stepping up from GB3 to the sport’s premier feeder series.
Season highlights
Speaking ahead of the F2 Italian GP at Monza, Bennett reflected on his season’s highlights and areas for improvement. “Yeah my highlights really would be sort of last year, but the points at Qatar in my first feature. You know that was a real high point and actually it’s a high point of my career as a whole really,” he said.
The Qatar result in 2024, where Bennett scored his first Formula 2 points in a Feature Race, remains a standout moment in what has been a challenging transition year. However, this season has provided its own moments of promise.
“This year’s been a bit trickier, but I was quite proud of the P10 at Red Bull Ring. Putting it on pole for the sprint race was good and then being able to fight up the front with those guys was a cool opportunity,” Bennett explained.
The Red Bull Ring weekend demonstrated Bennett’s potential, securing Sprint Race pole position and showing he could compete at the sharp end of the field when circumstances aligned. These flashes of pace have been encouraging signs amidst a season of learning.
Areas for improvement
When asked about areas requiring improvement, Bennett was honest about the challenges he continues to face. “In terms of biggest areas to work on I would say it’s still just getting used to getting on it straight away. That transition from FP to quali you need to go quite a lot faster on the different set of tyres and doing that from lap one I think is a big thing.”
Tyre management has proven particularly challenging for the rookie. “The tyre management is a really tricky aspect, but I think the past couple rounds we’ve been we’ve been definitely moving up the grid and yeah, I had that better under control,” he noted.
Monza challenge
Looking ahead to the F2 Italian GP, Bennett faces a unique challenge as the only driver on the grid yet to race at the iconic Italian circuit. “I’m actually the only one on the grid that hasn’t ever raced at Monza before so it’s my first time to experience all that chaos,” he admitted.
Despite this disadvantage, Bennett has been preparing thoroughly. “I’ve watched a lot of qualis there, watched races back and yeah no one ever really knows what’s going to happen but I think a toe is quite important but the biggest thing is always to get a clean lap.”
The Monza weekend presents particular challenges with qualifying strategy, where slipstreaming can be crucial. “Some people haven’t even made it across the line in time so yeah I’ll really just be focussing on yourself. Try and get in a good place on track but yeah I mean you just try and do everything you can really to get into a good place on track and make it across the line with your tyres in a good way though.”
Maintaining momentum
With the season’s final rounds spread out across the calendar, Bennett faces another challenge in maintaining rhythm and sharpness. “It’s something that I haven’t really dealt with at the trunk. I’ve just been trying to stay sharp in any way you can, keeping the sim preparation up, trying to get out in whatever.”
The unusual calendar structure has created an unprecedented situation for the rookie. “It is quite a weird calendar. Like I said I’ve never had something like this before, but I think the gap between Baku and Qatar is actually longer than the winter break really which is weird.”
“Just trying to stay as sharp as possible, trying to keep working every day and try and go into the last rounds. Who knows.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix retirement serves as another data point in what has been an educational rookie season for Bennett. Whilst results haven’t always gone Bennett’s way, the experience gained battling at F2 level will prove invaluable as he takes on the F2 Italian GP.
