On 23 August 1994, Renault announced they would supply Benetton as a works engine partner, providing free engines and full factory support from the 1995 season onward. The deal represented a significant upgrade from the Ford V8 era, and the B195 was designed around the factory Renault RS7 V10 — the same unit used by Benetton's main rival, Williams, in their FW17.
The B195 built on the architecture of its predecessor, the B194, but the engine switch required a comprehensive redesign of the engine installation, gearbox, and rear suspension to accommodate the Renault unit's different dimensions and characteristics.
The car was developed within the aerodynamic constraints the FIA imposed for 1995: smaller wings, enhanced crash protection structures, and a reduction in maximum engine displacement from 3.5 to 3.0 litres. Two visible design revisions occurred during the season itself. The airbox initially launched with a distinctive hump profile; by the French Grand Prix it had been revised to the conventional sloped form used by other teams. The front wing, which began the season with twin notches on each side, was replaced with a flatter wing without notches by the time of the German Grand Prix.
Despite its competitive results, the B195 was not considered an easy or particularly stable car to drive. Most paddock observers regarded it as inferior to the Williams FW17 in overall balance, and Schumacher himself was openly critical, describing the car as only fast when driven at the absolute limit. Gerhard Berger, who joined Benetton for winter testing in late 1995, reported that the car's balance was very poor upon his first experience of it.
Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert drove the B195 throughout the championship. Schumacher entered the season as defending champion and contested another close title fight with Williams driver Damon Hill. The two were involved in several collisions and near-misses that echoed their 1994 battles, including an incident at the British Grand Prix in which Hill attempted an overtake and the contact eliminated both drivers.
Schumacher's campaign produced nine victories, a margin that proved sufficient to clinch the championship ahead of Hill. Johnny Herbert delivered two wins of his own, at Silverstone and at Monza — the latter race also featuring another collision between Schumacher and Hill.
The Brazilian Grand Prix opener produced a regulatory complication: Schumacher's victory was initially disqualified due to fuel irregularities, but was subsequently reinstated. The constructor's points, however, were not restored, leaving Benetton without the constructor's share from that result.
Herbert, by the end of the season, publicly accused the team of giving Schumacher preferential treatment and superior equipment.
The B195 delivered Benetton its first Constructors' Championship title, but the success came at a transitional cost. Most of the team's key technical personnel — including Brawn and Byrne — departed for Ferrari when Schumacher signed for the Scuderia for the 1996 season. The B195 holds the distinction of being the last Enstone-based Formula One car to win the world constructors' title until the Renault R25 achieved the same in 2005, a gap of ten years between the two championships from that facility.
The car was later featured in the Codemasters F1 2020 video game as downloadable content in the Deluxe Schumacher Edition.
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