Photo: Dutch Photo Agency
John Bennett arrives at Silverstone buoyed by his maiden victory as he returns to a home track he didn’t think he would race at in Formula 2 again.
After making the step up from GB3, Bennett’s first full year in F2 was lacklustre. Scoring just one point compared to his Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez’s 43 could have written off the 22 year-old’s stint in the series.
“It was tricky and it was a bit of a strange year,” Bennett explained. “I jumped in super last minute for Qatar and Abu Dhabi [in 2024] and we were actually very strong. Then during the full season, I never really reached that pace again which was very mentally challenging on me.”
“I wasn’t quite sure why and midway through the year I felt a bit lost and didn’t know what was required from me to drive the car quickly; it just never really clicked.”
A surprise offer from Trident led Bennett to return to the grid for 2026 with another chance to prove himself. “Coming to the end of last year we weren’t actually sure if we would be staying in F2,” he admitted.
“We were starting to look at other options and the option to come to Trident really came about very last minute. It was something we thought was worth it and worth giving it another try.”
“I really enjoyed working with VAR last year but coming to the end of the year there wasn’t much success together so there wasn’t really much reason to stay on. For sure there was a risk but there’s always a risk. Sometimes you can join the team that’s won the championship then they fall off the next year.”
Results continued to elude Bennett as he failed to score in the opening four rounds of this season while his teammate Laurens Van Hoepen took the series by storm, claiming two podiums in two rounds.
“For sure it was challenging,” Bennett explained. “I did the testing with the team in Abu Dhabi and Barcelona and was stronger but at the start of the year I was struggling and he was flying.
“At the same time it just gave me more motivation because I know he’s a very strong driver and I have a lot of respect for him but I know that I can beat him and if he’s getting the results I know I can as well.”
Now 16th in the standings and buoyed by his first win in the Red Bull Ring sprint race, Bennett arrives at his home track full of confidence.
“I think the first step is staying in the top 10 every weekend. That is just really the key to F2; consistent points finishes. If you qualify in the top 10 that’s the hardest part of the weekend done.”
“I’m aiming to charge for podiums and wins every weekend. For now it’s just racking up the points and moving up the championship because I think we should be a bit higher than we are.”