Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the

Benetton family Four members of the Italian Benetton family () founded the Benetton Group S.p.A. fashion company in 1965.same name. In 2000, the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In , the team became

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

. The Benetton Formula team was chaired by Alessandro Benetton from 1988 to 1998.

Origins

The

Benetton Group Benetton Group S.r.l. () is a global fashion brand based in Ponzano Veneto, Italy, founded in 1965. Benetton Group has a network of about 5,000 stores worldwide. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Benetton family's holding company Edizi ...

entered

as a sponsor company for constructor Tyrrell in , then

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...

in and and finally

Toleman Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and participated in 70 Grands Prix. Origins The Toleman company was formed in 1926 by Edward Toleman for the purpose of delivering Ford ...

in 1985. Toleman had struggled in 1985, missing the first three races of the season and being forced to only enter one car for the following six races, as a result of a dispute with tyre suppliers.

Teo Fabi Teodorico Fabi (born 9 March 1955) is an Italian former racing driver. He competed in Formula One and sports car racing, and claimed pole position in his rookie year at the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Teo is the older brother of former Formula One dri ...

had taken a pole position for Toleman at the

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

, however the team would score no points during the season, with poor reliability causing a Toleman car to see the chequered flag only twice out of 20 total entries. Benetton Formula Ltd. was formed at the end of 1985 when the

team was sold to the

Benetton family Four members of the Italian Benetton family () founded the Benetton Group S.p.A. fashion company in 1965.Benetton B186 after the change in ownership. Benetton's first season in Formula One also came with a change in engine supply, with Toleman's

Hart Hart often refers to: * Hart (deer) Hart may also refer to: Organizations * Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer * Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer * Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores * Hart's Reptile Wo ...

engines being replaced with that of a large car manufacturer, the powerful

BMW M12 The BMW M12/13 turbo was a 1499.8 cc 4-cylinder turbocharged Formula One engine, based on the standard BMW M10 engine introduced in 1961, powered the F1 cars of Brabham, Arrows and Benetton. Nelson Piquet won the FIA Formula One Driver ...

. Teo Fabi was retained as a driver and

Piercarlo Ghinzani Piercarlo Ghinzani (born 16 January 1952) is a former racing driver from Italy. He currently manages his own racing team, Team Ghinzani, which was created in 1992 and is currently involved in several Formula Three championships. Early career Be ...

was replaced by

Gerhard Berger Gerhard Berger (born 27 August 1959) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. He competed in Formula One for 14 seasons, twice finishing 3rd overall in the championship ( and ), both times driving for Ferrari. He won ten Grands Prix, ach ...

, who joined from Arrows. Gerhard Berger 1986 Detroit

The B186 demonstrated its pace throughout the season, with Berger securing the team's first podium finish at

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical ...

and a front-row start in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Fabi claimed two consecutive pole positions in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, before Berger achieved the

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...

-based team's first victory in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, almost half a minute ahead of his nearest competitor. Despite the impressive underlying pace, the B186 suffered from severe unreliability. The team recorded nineteen retirements, with eight consecutively for Fabi (including from his two pole positions). Benetton ended the season 6th in the championship with 19 points. Berger left the team for Ferrari at the end of 1986 and was replaced at Benetton by his former Arrows teammate

Thierry Boutsen Thierry Marc Boutsen (born 13 July 1957) is a Belgian former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One. He competed in 164 World Championship Grands Prix (163 starts), winning three rac ...

. BMW, which had supplied three teams in 1986, scaled back its operation to supply only Brabham in . With the

Haas Lola Team Haas (USA) Ltd., sometimes called Beatrice Haas after its major sponsor, was an American Formula One team founded by Carl Haas in 1984 after an agreement with Beatrice Foods, a US consumer products conglomerate, which competed in the Worl ...

team folding at the end of 1986, Benetton was able to take over its factory supply of turbocharged

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

engines. The B187 suffered with engine trouble at the start of the season, but became more consistent mid-season after reducing the effect of the turbocharger, taking numerous 4th and 5th place finishes as well as two 3rd places in

and Australia. Benetton ended the season 5th in the championship with 28 points.

Rise (1988–1990)

Fabi was dropped for the season in favour of Minardi driver

Alessandro Nannini Alessandro "Sandro" Nannini (born 7 July 1959) is a former racing driver from Italy. He is the younger brother of singer Gianna Nannini. His five-year F1 career resulted in his one and only win at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix but ended less than ...

, ending Fabi's Formula One career. The B188 became the team's first naturally-aspirated car as Ford wished to concentrate development in light of the upcoming ban on turbocharged engines. The B188 was once again an improvement on its predecessor, suffering almost half the number of retirements and claiming seven podium finishes, all 3rd places. Boutsen had finished 3rd in

, however both Benettons were disqualified from the race after the season had concluded for fuel irregularities. The team finished the season 3rd in the championship with 39 points. For , Boutsen left Benetton to join Williams and was replaced by rookie

Johnny Herbert John Paul "Johnny" Herbert (born 25 June 1964) is a British former racing driver and current television announcer for Sky Sports F1. He raced in Formula One from 1989 to 2000, for seven different teams, winning three races and placing 4th in ...

. The new engine developed by Ford for the B189 was not ready for the start of the season, and the previous year's engine did not fit in the new car. The team therefore had no choice but to continue using the B188. Despite this setback, the B188 still proved competitive, with Nannini claiming a podium finish at

. Prior to making his Formula One debut, Herbert was involved in a serious crash in

Formula 3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championships ...

that broke both his legs. Despite achieving some impressive results, including 4th place in his first race, he was dropped by the team after failing to qualify for the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a spor ...

as it became clear he had still not fully recovered. He was replaced by rookie and McLaren test driver

Emanuele Pirro Emanuele Pirro (born 12 January 1962) is an Italian racing driver who has raced in Formula One, touring cars and in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans which he has won a total of five times. Two times Italian Karting Champion (19 ...

. The B189 was finally ready to compete at the following race. Nannini would go on to achieve Benetton's first victory since 1986 at the

Japanese Grand Prix The Japanese Grand Prix ( ja, 日本グランプリ, Nihon-guranpuri) is a motor racing event in the calendar of the Formula One World Championship. Historically, Japan has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the Japanese Gran ...

after

Ayrton Senna Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and ...

was disqualified. Pirro was only able to secure a single points finish in his ten races with the team, taking 5th place in Australia. Benetton ended the season 4th in the championship with 39 points. Prior to the season, the team management was fired and businessman Flavio Briatore was appointed team manager by the Benetton family. Pirro was dropped in favour of three-time world champion

Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Souto Maior (, born 17 August 1952) is a Brazilian retired racing driver and businessman. Since his retirement, Piquet, a three-time World Champion, has been ranked among the greatest Formula One (F1) drivers in various motorspo ...

, who had left the struggling Lotus team. Benetton used a modified B189 before introducing the B190 at the third race of the season. 1990 proved to be the team's most successful to date, with Piquet winning the final two races of the season and the team achieving six other podium finishes. Tragedy would befall the team late into the season after Nannini lost his right forearm in a helicopter crash. His arm was re-attached but the injuries ended his Formula One career.

EuroBrun EuroBrun Racing was an Italian-licensed Formula One constructor based in Senago, Milan, Italy. They participated in 46 Grands Prix between 1988 and 1990, entering a total of 76 cars. Background The team was a combination of two outfits – the ...

driver

Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno (born 11 February 1959), usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship p ...

had become available after the backmarker team pulled out of the sport, and so he was hired as Nannini's replacement. The next race in Japan marked Benetton's first ever 1-2 finish, as well as Moreno's first and only career podium. Benetton ended the season 3rd in the championship with 71 points.

First Schumacher years (1991–1993)

A new title sponsor was acquired for in the form of American cigarette brand Camel, which had previously appeared as a minor sponsor on Benetton cars. The 1991 season was less successful for Benetton. An upgraded B190 was used for the first two races of the season before the B191 made its debut at the

San Marino Grand Prix The San Marino Grand Prix () was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006. It was named after nearby S ...

. Piquet achieved an unexpected victory in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

after Nigel Mansell retired on the final lap, but two other 3rd place finishes were the only podium places the team would achieve in 1991. Benetton sought a young driver for the team's future, and believed neither Moreno nor the ageing Piquet could fill this role. After

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...

had impressed in his debut for

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

at the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of ...

, he was hired by Benetton for the following race in place of Moreno. Jordan protested the move in the British courts, but they found in favour of Benetton. For the season,

Tom Walkinshaw Racing Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) was a motor racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976, in Kidlington, near Oxford, England, by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw. The company initially handled privateer work before entering works touring ca ...

acquired a stake in Benetton, with

Tom Walkinshaw Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...

and Ross Brawn brought in to run the team's engineering operations. The team also moved its base of operations from Witney, Oxfordshire to a new factory close to the nearby village of

Enstone Enstone is a village and civil parish in England, about east of Chipping Norton and north-west of Oxford city. The civil parish, one of Oxfordshire's largest, consists of the villages of Church Enstone and Neat Enstone, with the hamlets of Cha ...

. Piquet had retired from Formula One, and was replaced by experienced Brabham driver

Martin Brundle Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver, best known as a Formula One driver and as a commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011, and Sky Sports since 2012. Brundle contested the 1 ...

. Benetton's new car was once again delayed, with the team using an upgraded B191 for the first three races of the season in which Schumacher achieved two podium finishes. The B192 was a marked improvement, with eleven more podium finishes including a victory at

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...

, the first of Schumacher's career. Benetton ended the season 3rd in the championship with 91 points. Brundle was unexpectedly dropped for in favour of veteran

Riccardo Patrese Riccardo Gabriele Patrese (born 17 April 1954) is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from to . He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and ...

, who had left Williams. The B193 was similar in competitiveness to its predecessor, taking a single victory in the hands of Schumacher at the

Portuguese Grand Prix The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...

and finishing 3rd in the championship for the fourth time in the team's history. Benetton achieved ten other podium finishes during the season. Despite these impressive results and improvements in the team's performance in 1992 and 1993, Benetton were not able to provide Schumacher with a car to challenge for the world championship, and were outclassed by the dominant Williams team.

Championship years (1994–1995)

Camel was replaced as the team's title sponsor for by Japanese cigarette brand

Mild Seven , previously called , is a Japanese brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Japan Tobacco. History Mevius was launched in 1977 under the name Mild Seven. It was intended to be a mild version of the Seven Stars brand. It was l ...

. This meant Benetton adopted

sky blue Sky blue is a shade of light blue comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. The term (as "sky blew") is attested from 1681. A 1585 translation of Nicolas de Nicolay's 1576 ''Les navigations, peregrinations et voyages faicts en la Turquie'' i ...

as the main car colour. Patrese retired from Formula One, ending what was the longest career in the sport's history. He was replaced by

Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in . After operating it un ...

driver

JJ Lehto Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto (; born 31 January 1966), better known as "JJ Lehto", is a Finnish racing driver. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1995 and 2005. He is also a former Formula One driver. He was a protégé of Finnish 1982 Formula ...

. However, Lehto was injured whilst testing the B194 prior to the start of the season and Benetton's test driver

Jos Verstappen Johannes Franciscus Verstappen (; born 4 March 1972) is a former (Formula One) racing driver. Verstappen was the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993. In Formula 1, Verstappen raced for seven different te ...

was brought up to replace him. The B194 was dominant in the hands of Schumacher, winning six of the first seven races and taking Benetton's first pole positions since 1986. Verstappen and Lehto were less successful. Verstappen retired from his first two races after accidents. Lehto was declared fit for the

, but would only score a single point in the following four races and was replaced again by Verstappen for the

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...

onwards. Schumacher finished 2nd at the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...

, but was deemed to have overtaken

Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill, (born 17 September 1960) is a British former professional racing driver from England and the 1996 Formula One World Champion. He is the son of Graham Hill, and, along with Nico Rosberg, one of two sons of a Formula ...

on the formation lap and then ignored

black flags The Black Flag Army (; , chữ Nôm: 軍旗𬹙) was a splinter remnant of a bandit group recruited largely from soldiers of ethnic Zhuang background, who crossed the border in 1865 from Guangxi, China into northern Vietnam, then during the Nguy ...

. He was disqualified from the results after the race, and later handed a two-race ban. At the

, Verstappen's B194 burst into flames after being showered with fuel during his pit stop. He escaped with minor burns and returned to score two consecutive podiums at the following races, the first of his career. Another disqualification came for Schumacher after he finished 1st at the

; his car was measured as having an illegal amount of wear on its skid block. His two-race ban was served at the following two races, during which Lehto returned to the team as a replacement. In an attempt to win the constructors' championship, Benetton replaced Verstappen with the more experienced Johnny Herbert for the final two races of the season, marking his return to the team. This was ultimately unsuccessful after Herbert retired from both races. Despite Benetton losing the constructors' championship to Williams, Schumacher won his first world title after colliding with championship rival Hill at the final race in Australia, taking out both drivers. Michael Schumacher 1995 Britain 2

After eight years of Ford power, Benetton switched to full-works

V10 engines for and thus Ford switched allegiances to then-youngest Formula One constructor

. Herbert was retained alongside Schumacher, whilst test driver Verstappen was loaned to the struggling

Simtek Simtek (Simulation Technology) was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team. The Formula One (F1) engineering consultancy arm, Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved ...

team. Schumacher was initially critical of the new B195, claiming that it was difficult to control. The car was outclassed by the Williams FW17 in the early season, with the team's poor performance culminating in Schumacher crashing out from pole position at

. However, setup changes at the following race in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

improved Schumacher's performance in the car. He went on to dominate the remainder of the season, taking nine wins from seventeen races in total and claiming his second world title. Herbert took his first career podium in

and then went on to win the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Grands Prix. This combined effort won Benetton its first constructors' championship, ending Williams' three-year reign. Herbert later claimed the team failed to provide him with equal equipment and accused them of favouring Schumacher.

1994 cheating controversy

During the season, some rival teams claimed Benetton had found a way to violate the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

-imposed ban on electronic aids, including

traction control A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (from german: Antriebsschlupfregelung, lit=drive slippage regulation), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicle ...

and launch control. On investigation, the FIA discovered "start sequence" (launch control) software in the

Benetton B194 The Benetton B194 is a Formula One racing car designed by Rory Byrne for the 1994 Formula One season. Design The car was closely based on its predecessors, the B192 and B193, and powered by a Ford Zetec-R V8 engine (produced by Cosworth but ...

cars, and a variety of illegal software in rival teams' cars as well. FIA had no evidence the software was ever used, so teams found with the software received little to no punishment. No traction control software was found to be in the Benetton cars, however. Flavio Briatore, Benetton's chief in 1994, said in 2001 that "Our only mistake was that at the time we were too young and people were suspicious".

Decline (1996–1999)

Benetton began racing under Italian nationality for the season, but remained based in the United Kingdom. Despite being contracted to race for Benetton, Schumacher left early to join Ferrari, citing the team's actions in 1994 as his reason for opting out. Herbert was dropped by the team and joined Sauber. Their replacements were

Jean Alesi Jean Alesi (born Giovanni Alesi, 11 June 1964) is a French professional racing driver of Italian origin. After successes in minor categories, notably winning the 1989 Formula 3000 Championship, his Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell ...

and the returning Gerhard Berger, both of whom had left Ferrari. Williams returned to dominance in 1996 and Schumacher's departure allowed Ferrari to compete for race wins, leaving Benetton struggling. The B196 took ten podium finishes, but the team failed to win a race for the first time since 1988. Alesi and Berger were on course to win the

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Grands Prix respectively, but both retired late in the closing laps. Benetton finished the season 3rd in the championship with 68 points, less than half as many as in 1995. By , technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer

Rory Byrne Rory Byrne (born 10 January 1944) is a South African semi-retired engineer and car designer, most famous for being the chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari Formula One teams. Byrne-designed cars have won ninety-nine Grands Pri ...

, as well as numerous other staff, had left Benetton to join Schumacher at Ferrari. Composites manager, Philip Henderson, who had been with the team since the start also left to help Dan Gurney with his Indy Car team in California. The B197, like its predecessor, struggled to compete with Williams and Ferrari. However, the team still achieved a number of podium finishes over the season. Berger was forced to miss three races due to illness and the death of his father; his replacement was rookie test driver

Alexander Wurz Alexander Georg Wurz (born 15 February 1974) is an Austrian former professional racing driver, driver training expert and businessman. He competed in Formula One from until , and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours. He is current ...

. Wurz scored a podium in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, only his third race in Formula One. Berger returned for the

, winning the race from pole position in dominant fashion. However, this would turn out to be Benetton's last victory in Formula One. Alesi took pole position in

but lost out due to a slow pit stop, finishing 2nd. Benetton ended the season 3rd in the championship with 67 points. saw numerous changes within the Benetton team. Berger retired from Formula One, and Alesi left to join Sauber. Test driver Wurz was promoted to a full-time seat, partnering Giancarlo Fisichella who left Jordan. Renault pulled out of Formula One, leaving Benetton and Williams with a supply of Renault's 1997 engines developed by

Mecachrome Mecachrome SAS is a precision engineering company based in France that operates in the aerospace, motor racing, energy and defence sectors. History Mecachrome was founded in 1937 in Colombes, France. As a precision engineering company, Mecachrom ...

. Benetton re-branded these engines as

Playlife Playlife was a fashion company based in Treviso, Italy. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Benetton Group. History In July 1997, Benetton Group acquired a 57% stake in Benetton Sportsystem from Edizione Holdings for 318bn lire. At this tim ...

, a sportswear brand owned by the Benetton family. Chief executive Flavio Briatore was removed and replaced by former World Rally Champion and

Prodrive Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advanced technolo ...

boss David Richards. Fisichella achieved some success with the

B198 The Benetton B198 is a Formula One racing car with which the Benetton Formula One team competed in the 1998 Formula One season. It was driven by Giancarlo Fisichella, who had moved from Jordan, and Alexander Wurz, who was in his first full se ...

, achieving two consecutive 2nd places in

and

as well as pole position in

. However, Benetton became uncompetitive towards the end of the season, scoring just a single point in the final seven races. The team partly blamed tyre supplier Bridgestone, claiming that they had favoured the more successful McLaren team. Benetton finished the season 5th in the championship with 33 points. Chief executive Richards left Benetton after just a year in his post and was replaced by Rocco Benetton for , due to a disagreement with the Benetton family about future strategy. The Renault engines were now developed by Flavio Briatore's

Supertec Supertec was a brand of Formula One engines supplied by Dutch company Super Performance Competition Engineering BV, managed by Flavio Briatore and Bruno Michel. Supertec engines were updated 1997 Renault RS9 units, built by Mecachrome. In May 199 ...

company, but continued to be labelled Playlife. The B199 was a disappointment and demonstrated the further decline of the team. The highlight of the season was Fisichella's 2nd place in

, however this only came after numerous retirements from other cars. The following ten races only saw a single points finish for Benetton; Wurz's 5th place in

. Benetton ended the season 6th in the championship with 16 points, their worst ever finish.

Renault ownership (2000–2001)

Prior to the start of the season, the team was sold to Renault as the manufacturer sought a return to Formula One, however the team would retain the Benetton name. As part of their restructuring, Renault brought back Flavio Briatore as team manager. The B200 was an improvement on its predecessor, claiming three podium finishes, including 2nd place in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

after

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (; born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver from Scotland, later turned presenter, commentator and journalist. Nicknamed 'DC', he competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between and , taking 13 Grand Prix vi ...

was disqualified. All three of these podiums were scored by Fisichella; Wurz struggled with the car and only claimed a single points finish with 5th place in

. Benetton ended the season 4th in the championship with 20 points. Button 2001 French Grand Prix

The Renault name returned to Formula One in as Benetton received a supply of full-works Renault engines. Wurz's struggles in 2000 saw him replaced with a young

Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super G ...

, who had been dropped by Williams. Despite these changes, Benetton suffered a dismal start to 2001 with the B201 often barely qualifying in the top 20. Only a single point was salvaged in the first eleven races, when Fisichella finished 6th in

after twelve other cars failed to finish. The team's fortunes began to change at the

, when Fisichella and Button finishing 4th and 5th respectively. Continued chassis development allowed Benetton to leave Formula One on something of a high, and the cars' performance lifted. Button and Fisichella scored 10 points for the team, including an impressive podium finish for Fisichella in

Legacy

2001 was the final season featuring the Benetton name, as the team was fully re-branded as the Renault F1 Team for the season. The Renault F1 Team would go on to win the drivers' and constructors' championships in both and with Fernando Alonso. The team was sold off and became

Lotus F1 Team Lotus F1 Team was a British Formula One racing team. The team competed under the Lotus name from until , following the renaming of the former Renault team based at Enstone in Oxfordshire. The Lotus F1 Team was majority owned by Genii Capital. ...

in , before being re-purchased by Renault and becoming

Renault Sport Formula One Team The French automotive manufacturer Renault has been associated with Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1977. In 1977, the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine ...

in , before becoming

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

. The team continues to operate from the site at Enstone established by Benetton in 1992. The Benetton team is today best known for its success with Michael Schumacher, who accounts for 19 of the team's 27 race victories and their two World Drivers' Championships.

Nationality

Benetton Team had a British licence from to and an Italian licence from to , thus becoming only the second constructor (after

Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

in ) to officially change its nationality. The

Benetton family Four members of the Italian Benetton family () founded the Benetton Group S.p.A. fashion company in 1965.Toleman Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and participated in 70 Grands Prix. Origins The Toleman company was formed in 1926 by Edward Toleman for the purpose of delivering Ford ...

factory in

Witney, Oxfordshire Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...

, before moving to a new, modern, bigger factory at

in .

Racing record

(Bold indicates championships won.)

Footnotes

External links

United Colors of Benetton
{{Formula One World Constructors' Champions Formula One entrants British auto racing teams Italian auto racing teams British racecar constructors Italian racecar constructors British Formula Three teams 1986 establishments in Europe 2001 disestablishments in Europe Benetton Group German Formula 3 teams Auto racing teams established in 1986 Auto racing teams disestablished in 2001 Formula One World Constructors' Champions