The B194 was closely based on its predecessors, the B192 and B193. It was powered by a Ford Zetec-R V8 engine, designed and developed by Geoff Goddard, and produced by Cosworth but funded by and badged as a Ford unit. A significant design challenge was adapting to new regulations that banned electronic driver aids, which had become prevalent in Formula One in previous seasons. The resulting car was light and nimble, proving particularly competitive on twisty tracks. This contrasted with the early Williams FW16, which was difficult to drive due to its reliance on previously permitted electronic systems. The car also featured an anhedral lower rear wing element, similar to that seen on the FW16, introduced at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Other teams suspected the B194 was not legal due to its high competitiveness with a comparatively underpowered engine. The FIA launched an investigation and discovered a start sequence system, known as launch control, in the car's onboard computer systems, but no traction control. Ultimately, the FIA could not prove that the system had been used, and the complaints were dropped.
The car was very competitive in the hands of Michael Schumacher. Schumacher won six of the first seven races of the season following the death of Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix. Schumacher himself faced controversy, being disqualified from the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, which allowed Damon Hill to close the points gap. The championship came down to the final race in Australia, where Schumacher and Hill were separated by only one point. A contentious collision between the two drivers during the race ultimately secured the drivers' title for Schumacher. Starting with the Pacific Grand Prix, Schumacher's car was adorned with small red accents, presumably to help spectators and television commentators distinguish his car from his teammates'. Schumacher later commented that the B194 was "quite a handful to drive, being twitchy at the rear end."
Schumacher had three teammates throughout the season: JJ Lehto, Jos Verstappen, and Johnny Herbert. All found the B194 difficult to drive. Verstappen stated in 1996 that he and Herbert shared similar experiences, describing the car as unpredictable with sudden oversteer that was difficult to control, often leading to spins.
The B194 sported a new light blue livery, reflecting its new main sponsor Mild Seven, replacing Camel. The team also gained several sponsors throughout the season, including Oracle and Minichamps.
The B194 was replaced by the B195 for the 1995 season. The Benetton B194 is featured in the F1 2020 video game as DLC for the "Deluxe Schumacher Edition".
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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