 |
| Benetton Formula 1 |
"Benetton Formula 1"
The famous fashion house entered Formula One as a sponsor to Tyrell in 1983. Just two years later it decided to take the plunge into team ownership, buying out Ted Toleman's outfit. Toleman had hardly set the F1 world alight in its five years at the top, its main claim to fame being a couple of podium finishes for the young Ayrton Senna in 1984.
Toleman designer Rory Byrne stayed on with the new concern, and his BMW-powered B186 was competitive from the outset. In the penultimate round of the 1986 season Gerhard Berger, helped by a shrewd tyre strategy, gave Benetton its maiden success on a bumpy Mexico City track.
1987 saw the beginning of a long-term deal with Ford. Thierry Boutsen finished fourth in the 1988 title race, Alessandro Nannini taking sixth the following year. The Italian won the controversial 1989 Japanese GP, inheriting maximum points after Senna was disqualified for chopping a chicane following a clash with Prost. Flavio Briatore took over as team principal that year, and with three- times champion Nelson Piquet spearheading the line-up, Benetton had their best season to date in 1990. The Brazilian won the last two races of the season for a share of third in the title race.
"Schumacher snatched from Jordan"
Piquet stayed on for '91, and performed creditably again, but more significant was the arrival of Michael Schumacher. His signature infuriated Eddie Jordan, for whose team the German wunderkind had made an impressive debut at Spa, qualifying seventh.
Schumacher hung onto williams coat-tails in '92, but the active suspension of the FW14B made Mansell unstoppable. He did take his maiden win at Spa, though, and with another victory plus eight podiums in 1993, Benetton continued to narrow the gap on Williams.
Following Senna's death at Imola in 1994, Schumacher pipped the Brazilian's Williams team-mate Damon Hill for the title. It wasn't plain sailing: there was a ban for ignoring a black flag at Silverstone; disqualification at Spa for skidblock wear which infringed the rules; and the clash with Hill at the Adelaide decider which took both men out and preserved the German's one-point advantage.
"Nine wins brings championship double"
Benetton switched to Renault power in 1995 and Schumacher delivered a more emphatic, less controversial second championship, winning nine races. With Johnny Herbert playing a useful supporting role, Benetton won its only Constructors title that year.
The team slipped after Schumacher departed to Ferrari in 1996, and the loss of technical wizards Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn to Maranello was also a severe blow. The withdrawal of Renault in 1997 also impacted on performances. In 2000, however, Renault decided to return to F1 as a full works team, and to that end purchased Benetton. Fisichella and Button picked up 10 points between them in the 2001 Benetton-Renault, the last campaign before Renault assumed total control and the Benetton name disappeared.