An image of Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton

Life moves fast for UQ graduate Dr Luke Bennett – but that’s bound to happen when your world revolves around Formula 1 racing. Contact caught up with Bennett on his pit stop back in Australia to discuss his transition from flying doctor to sports performance specialist.


There are days when Dr Luke Bennett still pinches himself to prove he’s not dreaming.

He was just 12 years old when he watched his first Formula 1 grand prix on TV at his home in Ashgrove, Brisbane, in 1985. Now, Formula 1 is his world. 

As the Managing Director (Sports) at Hintsa Performance, Bennett (Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery ’96; Master of Sports Medicine ’14) manages a talented bunch of coaches and physiotherapists who work behind the scenes to drive the sport he loves.

“As a boy, the combination of colour, glamour, engineering and competitive tension was intoxicating,” Bennett recalled.

“That first race I watched on TV was the return of the Australian Grand Prix to the Formula 1 World Championship, and I have not missed a single race in the 34 seasons since.

“The race was also three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda’s last appearance as a driver.”

An image of Dr Luke Bennett (second from the left) consults with Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes AMG Petronas car crew.

Dr Luke Bennett (second from the left) consults with Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes AMG Petronas car crew. Image: Steve Etherington

Dr Luke Bennett (second from the left) consults with Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes AMG Petronas car crew. Image: Steve Etherington

Bennett would not realise the significance of this until almost three decades later, when he worked alongside Lauda at Mercedes AMG Petronas during the team’s domination of the sport in recent seasons.

Lauda worked as the non-executive chairman of Mercedes from 2012 until his death earlier this year, overseeing the team’s consecutive Formula 1 championship victories between 2014 and 2019, and being part of the negotiations to sign champion driver Lewis Hamilton.

An image of Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton. Image: Getty Images

Formula 1 teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull are major clients of Hintsa Performance, and Bennett has worked closely with drivers like Hamilton since joining the organisation in 2013.

“We provide coaching and medical services for about 20 drivers across Formula 1 and Formula 2,” Bennett explained. 

“Our performance coaches – mostly sports scientists and physiotherapists – work one-on-one with their drivers across the year and are responsible for a program of physical preparation, biomechanics, sleep and nutrition planning, and general health. 

“Drivers face enormous cognitive loads during race weeks; not just on the track but over a relentless roster of engineering meetings, media appearances and marketing duties. Our coaches play a major role in managing and shielding their drivers from this load wherever possible.


“We are a core part of their lives in a clinical sense, and close mentors in many cases.”


Bennett said his team also provided clinical trackside care for the travelling Mercedes staff, such as mechanics, engineers, and catering and logistics staff.

“This is mostly routine general practice and travel medicine for a range of UK-based patients, many of whom never get to see another doctor between continuous travel. We also deliver physiotherapy and wellbeing services to a number of Formula 1 teams.

An image of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel.

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. Image: Getty Images

 “We are very proud to have contributed directly to a total of 14 World Drivers’ Championships, and six World Constructors’ Championships in Formula 1 alone.”

Now based in Switzerland, Bennett follows the colour and glamour of the Formula 1 circus around the world. It’s a far cry from his previous roles in intensive- and critical-care medicine at Nambour Hospital, the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, and with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in remote Western Australia. 

Bennett said the RFDS drew him towards a “totally terrifying but autonomous pre-hospital critical-care environment”, in a frontier where exposure to progressive Indigenous medicine, a booming mining industry, seasonal tourism and regional pastoral properties combined to make every day unique.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. Image: Getty Images

However, the then aviation novice admitted he got more than he bargained for on his first weekend with the RFDS, when he was part of a team called to transport a woman who had gone into labour.

It was 3am and the cyclone forming over Lombadina, north of Broome, had battered the small, propeller-powered aircraft for almost an hour.

After a fourth failed attempt at landing – and feeling powerless in the violent, pitch-black sky – Bennett put his trust in the skills of the experienced pilot.

“The single-operator pilots in the RFDS are extremely skilled at balancing patient needs, the dangers of adverse tropical weather, and very remote outback airstrip facilities,” Bennett said.

“Having little obstetric or paediatric experience, I was actually much more terrified of the premature labour scenario which awaited us on the ground than the prospect of death in a plane crash.

“A local nurse eventually delivered the baby uneventfully at the airstrip without our help, and that child thrives to this day.”

An image of Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton

Hintsa Performance coaches are engaged with drivers across every current Formula 1 team. Images: Getty Images

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton. Image: Getty Images

An image of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel.

Hintsa Performance coaches are engaged with drivers across every current Formula 1 team. Images: Getty Images

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. Image: Getty Images

An image of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Hintsa Performance coaches are engaged with drivers across every current Formula 1 team. Images: Getty Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. Image: Getty Images

Despite the pressures, long hours and remote conditions of his work, Bennett still found time to pursue his interest in motor racing earlier in his career – both as a fan and trackside volunteer – at events such as the Australian Grand Prix, as well as a number of Formula 1 races in Korea, and numerous rally and off-road events.

“In 2010, I attended the Monaco Grand Prix as a spectator. It was certainly a stark contrast to be intubating a very sick patient in a small Kimberley clinic in the early hours of the morning, to then departing directly to Monaco to sip champagne on a superyacht when my shift ended a few hours later,” Bennett said.

It was while volunteering at the Australian Grand Prix in 2008 that Bennett met one of Hintsa Performance’s first coaches Adam Costanzo (Bachelor of Physiotherapy ’00; Master of Physiotherapy ’03), and was subsequently introduced to founder Dr Aki Hintsa. Bennett kept in touch with both at various events in the years that followed. 

When Hintsa decided to step back from full-time Formula 1 travel in late 2013, Bennett was approached to take over part of his work. 

“Aki later recounted to me that a passion for motorsport and experience working independently outside a clinic environment were key attributes he was seeking in his successor,” Bennett said.


“There is only one position like this on the planet, and it remains a source of amazement that I was in the right place at the right time to take up the opportunity."


“But exposure to this enormous spectrum of patient experience – from our very poorest and most unfortunate citizens to a roster of high-profile billionaires and athletes – has been one of the defining privileges of my career. 

“In the end you understand that all humans are basically the same, in terms of needs and limitations.”

Bennett returned to Australia in September this year, spending time in Noosa, Queensland, relaxing with family and friends before returning to work in time for the Japanese Grand Prix in October.

“I am lucky enough to spend about eight weeks sporadically each year in Australia, mostly around the Melbourne Grand Prix and other Asian races, as well as at Christmas,” Bennett said. 

“This is vital recharge time with family and friends. There is nothing like the ease of life at home, and my time in Indigenous Australian communities truly imbued me with a deep sense of connection to home and country.”  

While Bennett’s career has accelerated since joining Hintsa Performance more than six years ago, he maintains that his medicine career was a “happy accident”.

Watch the video about Hintsa Performance Managing Director (Sports) Dr Luke Bennett. Video: Phil Van Zyl

“I didn’t have a clear career direction when I finished high school,” Bennett said. 

“But I knew something of medicine from watching my dad’s practice and instinctively understood that a basic medical degree would open up a diverse range of career options later.”

Bennett’s father, Dr Terence Bennett (Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery ’69), grew up in Rosewood, near Ipswich in Queensland, and was the first person in his family to attend university. He attended his UQ graduating class’s 50th reunion this year. 

Bennett’s sister, Clare Lion (Bachelor of Physiotherapy ’99), and her husband Peter (Bachelor of Physiotherapy ’98; Bachelor of Applied Science ’00) are also UQ graduates, and both are involved in Hintsa Performance’s work with Formula 1 and Formula 2 teams.  

“As UQ students, we enjoyed a wonderful tradition of patient and distinguished clinical teachers and a palpable connection to the living history of medicine in our state,” Bennett said.

“Although my MBBS was very different in structure compared to a contemporary medical degree, exposure to volumes of basic clinical science is still something that strongly informs my practice today.

“My advice to current students is that there is time to do almost everything that you want to do in life, and you will almost certainly have a number of mini-careers over your working life. 

“Do your best every day in your current role while keeping an eye on the next opportunity that will progress and fulfil your dreams.”


Learn more about study options within UQ's Faculty of Medicine.

Image: Anjanette Webb
Cover image: Getty Images / Mark Thompson

An image of Dr Luke Bennett

Despite the pressures, long hours and remote conditions of his work, Bennett still found time to pursue his interest in motor racing earlier in his career – both as a fan and trackside volunteer – at events such as the Australian Grand Prix, as well as a number of Formula 1 races in Korea, and numerous rally and off-road events.

“In 2010, I attended the Monaco Grand Prix as a spectator. It was certainly a stark contrast to be intubating a very sick patient in a small Kimberley clinic in the early hours of the morning, to then departing directly to Monaco to sip champagne on a superyacht when my shift ended a few hours later,” Bennett said.

It was while volunteering at the Australian Grand Prix in 2008 that Bennett met one of Hintsa Performance’s first coaches Adam Costanzo (Bachelor of Physiotherapy ’00; Master of Physiotherapy ’03), and was subsequently introduced to founder Dr Aki Hintsa. Bennett kept in touch with both at various events in the years that followed. 

When Hintsa decided to step back from full-time Formula 1 travel in late 2013, Bennett was approached to take over part of his work. 

“Aki later recounted to me that a passion for motorsport and experience working independently outside a clinic environment were key attributes he was seeking in his successor,” Bennett said.


“There is only one position like this on the planet, and it remains a source of amazement that I was in the right place at the right time to take up the opportunity."


“But exposure to this enormous spectrum of patient experience – from our very poorest and most unfortunate citizens to a roster of high-profile billionaires and athletes – has been one of the defining privileges of my career. 

“In the end you understand that all humans are basically the same, in terms of needs and limitations.”

Bennett returned to Australia in September this year, spending time in Noosa, Queensland, relaxing with family and friends before returning to work in time for the Japanese Grand Prix in October.

“I am lucky enough to spend about eight weeks sporadically each year in Australia, mostly around the Melbourne Grand Prix and other Asian races, as well as at Christmas,” Bennett said. 

“This is vital recharge time with family and friends. There is nothing like the ease of life at home, and my time in Indigenous Australian communities truly imbued me with a deep sense of connection to home and country.”  

While Bennett’s career has accelerated since joining Hintsa Performance more than six years ago, he maintains that his medicine career was a “happy accident”.

Watch a video about Dr Luke Bennett. Video: Phil Van Zyl

“I didn’t have a clear career direction when I finished high school,” Bennett said. 

“But I knew something of medicine from watching my dad’s practice and instinctively understood that a basic medical degree would open up a diverse range of career options later.”

Bennett’s father, Dr Terence Bennett (Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery ’69), grew up in Rosewood, near Ipswich in Queensland, and was the first person in his family to attend university. He attended his UQ graduating class’s 50th reunion this year. 

Bennett’s sister, Clare Lion (Bachelor of Physiotherapy ’99), and her husband Peter (Bachelor of Physiotherapy ’98; Bachelor of Applied Science ’00) are also UQ graduates, and both are involved in Hintsa Performance’s work with Formula 1 and Formula 2 teams.  

“As UQ students, we enjoyed a wonderful tradition of patient and distinguished clinical teachers and a palpable connection to the living history of medicine in our state,” Bennett said.

“Although my MBBS was very different in structure compared to a contemporary medical degree, exposure to volumes of basic clinical science is still something that strongly informs my practice today.

“My advice to current students is that there is time to do almost everything that you want to do in life, and you will almost certainly have a number of mini-careers over your working life. 

“Do your best every day in your current role while keeping an eye on the next opportunity that will progress and fulfil your dreams.”


Learn more about study options within UQ's Faculty of Medicine.

Image: Anjanette Webb
Cover image: Getty Images / Mark Thompson

An image of Dr Luke Bennett

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