The B193 introduced several aerodynamic refinements over its predecessor, the B192. Its track was narrowed by 15 cm in line with the 1993 regulations, and the nose height was raised while the rear deck was lengthened and flattened to smooth airflow over the rear suspension. The front wing leading edge adopted a straight profile rather than the curved design of the B192, and the rear wing endplates followed suit. Later in the season, a cantilevered "forward wing" was added above the main rear plane for use on high-downforce circuits.
Technologically the B193 was among the most sophisticated cars on the grid, featuring active suspension, semi-automatic gearbox transmission, and traction control from Monaco onward. Patrese, fresh from five seasons at Williams, noted that the Benetton systems were a step below the refinement he had experienced there, but the car remained formidable in Schumacher's hands.
With access to the most powerful engine variant then available, Schumacher was able to challenge McLaren regularly and out-qualified Ayrton Senna in 8 of the 16 races. The main competitive dynamic involved Ford's engine supply: Benetton had started the year with the exclusive Series VII HB unit, giving McLaren only the older-specification engine. After McLaren lobbied Ford, both teams received the upgraded Series VIII from the British Grand Prix onward, neutralising Benetton's power advantage.
Schumacher scored multiple podiums across the season and applied sustained pressure to the McLarens, though the Williams FW15C with its Renault V10 remained in a class of its own. Patrese contributed solid points finishes. Benetton ended the year third in the Constructors' Championship, well clear of any car behind McLaren but with a significant gap to Williams.
A variant designated B193C was built as a test mule for an experimental four-wheel steering system, tested by both Schumacher and Patrese at Estoril. The two drivers disagreed on its merit: Patrese found it added nothing and actually impaired performance through slower corners, while Schumacher estimated it saved approximately three tenths of a second per lap. The system was fitted to Schumacher's race car for Japan and Australia, though he failed to finish either event due to unrelated causes — a collision and an engine failure respectively. The technology became irrelevant when the FIA banned driver-aid systems for 1994.
The B193 was the last Formula One car to carry Camel cigarette branding as its primary sponsor, preceding the team's long association with Mild Seven. Camel logos appeared on the car for most of the year, absent only at the French, British, German, and European Grands Prix.
The team adopted race numbers 5 and 6 for the season, a change from the 19 and 20 worn since Benetton's inception. This followed McLaren's decision not to claim the champion's 1 and 2 after losing the 1992 title, instead taking numbers 7 and 8 from the defunct Brabham allocation, which freed 5 and 6 for Benetton.
The B193 represented the apex of Benetton's pre-Schumacher-era engineering ambitions and confirmed Schumacher as a genuine championship contender. The car's aerodynamic and mechanical sophistication set the template for the B194, which Schumacher would drive to the first of his seven world titles the following season. The collaborative design effort by Brawn and Byrne at Benetton would prove even more consequential in subsequent years.
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