Benetton B194

Benetton B194

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Benetton
Designer(s)	Ross Brawn Rory Byrne Nicholas Tombazis
Predecessor	B193
Successor	B195
Technical specifications[1]
Chassis	Carbon fibre monocoque
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, pushrod
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, pushrod
Axle track	Front: 1,690 mm (67 in) Rear: 1,618 mm (63.7 in)
Wheelbase	2,880 mm (113 in)
Engine	Ford EC Zetec-R, 3,498 cc (213.5 cu in), 75° V8, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Benetton transverse 6-speed semi-automatic
Weight	515 kg (1,135 lb)
Fuel	Elf
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Mild Seven Benetton Ford
Notable drivers	Michael Schumacher Jos Verstappen JJ Lehto Johnny Herbert
Debut	1994 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 16 8 12 6 8
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	1 (1994, Michael Schumacher)

The Benetton B194 was designed by Rory Byrne for the 1994 Formula One season. The car was closely based on the previous Benetton B192/3 and powered by a Ford Zetec-R V8 engine (produced by Cosworth but funded by and badged as a Ford). It featured Mild Seven sponsorship for the first time, which was then carried on until the end of tobacco sponsorship in F1, replacing Camel as their main sponsor.The electronic driver aids that had had such an effect on F1 over the previous seasons were banned, so the car had to be redesigned with the new rules in mind. The B194 was a light and nimble car that handled well and was most competitive in the hands of Schumacher on twisty tracks unlike the early Williams FW16 which proved difficult to drive thanks to Williams's dependence on electronic driving aids in the previous season. Michael Schumacher's B194 remained the most competitive driver/car combination until Williams introduced a B-spec car at the German Grand Prix.

Jos Verstappen driving the B194.

The car was very competitive in the hands of Michael Schumacher. Schumacher won six of the first seven races of the season after his main rival, Ayrton Senna was killed at the San Marino Grand Prix. Other teams suspected the B194 was not legal, due to the high competitiveness of such a comparatively underpowered car. The FIA launched an investigation and a start sequence (launch control) system was discovered in the cars' onboard computer systems but no traction control. In the end, the governing body could not prove the systems had been used so the complaints were dropped. Schumacher himself was subject to controversy, after being disqualified from the British Grand Prix and then the Belgian Grand Prix which allowed Damon Hill to cut into the German's points lead and as they came to the final race in Australia, Hill and Schumacher were separated by one point. Schumacher commented years later that the B194 was actually quite a handful to drive, being twitchy at the rear end.

Schumacher had three team-mates—JJ Lehto, Jos Verstappen and Johnny Herbert—during the course of the season. All found the B194 difficult to drive; Verstappen said in 1996 that "I must have a little the same driving style as Johnny because he said basically the same things about that car that I did and seems to have had the same feelings. It was a very difficult car. You could not feel the limit and so you were pushing and pushing and then suddenly it would have oversteer. Normally when you get oversteer you can control it but the Benetton would go very suddenly and so you ended up having a spin. I had big problems with that car."^[2]

A contentious collision between Hill and Schumacher ended the 1994 drivers' title in Schumacher's favour, and the B194 was retired at the end of the season with eight wins and second place in the Constructors' Championship. The car was replaced by the Benetton B195 for 1995.

The B194 was the last Enstone-based car to be powered by other than a Renault engine until the Lotus E23 Hybrid-Mercedes in 2015.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
1994	Mild Seven Benetton	Ford EC Zetec-R V8	G		BRA	PAC	SMR	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	EUR	JPN	AUS	103	2nd
				Michael Schumacher	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	DSQ	Ret	1	DSQ			1	2	Ret
				Jos Verstappen	Ret	Ret					Ret	8	Ret	3	3	Ret	5	Ret
				JJ Lehto			Ret	7	Ret	6						9	Ret
				Johnny Herbert															Ret	Ret

References

1. "STATS F1 • Benetton B194". Statsf1.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
2. Saward, Joe (1996-05-01). "Interview – The Flying Dutchman: Jos Verstappen". grandprix.com. Inside F1. Retrieved 2009-11-15.

External links