Benetton B194
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| Category | Formula One |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Benetton |
| Team/s | Mild Seven Benetton Ford |
| Designer | Rory Byrne |
| Drivers | 5. Michael Schumacher J.J. Lehto 6. Jos Verstappen J.J. Lehto Johnny Herbert |
| Chassis | carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure |
| Suspension (front) | double carbon wishbones, pushrod, triple damper |
| Suspension (rear) | double wishbones, pushrod, double damper |
| Engine | Ford (Zetec-R), 75-degree V8 |
| Gearbox | Benetton six-speed longitudinal semi-automatic |
| Fuel | Elf |
| Tyres | Goodyear |
| Debut | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Races competed | 16 |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (1994, Michael Schumacher) |
| Race victories | 8 |
| Pole positions | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 8 |
The Benetton B194 was designed by Rory Byrne for the 1994 F1 season. The car was closely based on the previous Benetton B192/3 and powered by a Ford Zetec-RV8 engine (produced by Cosworth but badged as a Ford). 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 on twisty tracks.
The car was very competitive in the hands of Michael Schumacher, for which the B194 was specifically designed to suit his driving style. Schumacher won six of the first seven races of the season after his main rival, Ayrton Senna was tragically 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 indeed banned software was discovered in the cars' onboard computer systems, but 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.
A contentious collision between the two drivers 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.
[edit] Complete Formula One results
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Benetton | Ford 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 | EX | EX | 1 | 2 | Ret | ||||||
| Jos Verstappen | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | 5 | Ret | ||||||||||||
| J.J. Lehto | Ret | 7 | Ret | 6 | 9 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Herbert | Ret | Ret |
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