The Benetton Group entered Formula One as a sponsor for constructor Tyrrell in 1983, then Alfa Romeo in 1984 and 1985, and finally Toleman in 1985. Toleman had struggled in 1985, missing the first three races of the season due to a dispute with tyre suppliers and being forced to enter only one car for the following six races. Teo Fabi had taken a pole position for Toleman at the German Grand Prix, but the team scored no points during the season; poor reliability meant a Toleman car saw the chequered flag only twice from 20 total entries. Benetton Formula Limited was formed in 1985 when the Toleman team was sold to the Benetton family. The team was initially based at the former Toleman factory in Witney, Oxfordshire.
Toleman had already developed the TG186 for 1986; this was renamed the Benetton B186 after the change in ownership. Benetton's first season also brought a change in engines, with Toleman's Hart units replaced by the powerful BMW M12. Teo Fabi was retained and Piercarlo Ghinzani was replaced by Gerhard Berger, who joined from Arrows. Berger secured the team's first podium at Imola and a front-row start in Belgium. Fabi claimed two consecutive pole positions in Austria and Italy before Berger achieved the team's first victory in Mexico, almost half a minute ahead of his nearest competitor. Despite this pace, the B186 suffered severe unreliability — nineteen retirements including eight consecutively for Fabi. Benetton ended the season 6th in the championship with 19 points.
Berger left for Ferrari at the end of 1986 and was replaced by his former Arrows teammate Thierry Boutsen. BMW scaled back to supply only Brabham in 1987. With the Haas Lola team folding at the end of 1986, Benetton took over its factory supply of turbocharged Ford engines. The B187 suffered engine trouble early but became more consistent mid-season after reducing the effect of the turbocharger, taking numerous 4th and 5th place finishes and two 3rd places in Austria and Australia. Benetton ended 1987 5th in the championship with 28 points.
Fabi was dropped for 1988 in favour of Minardi driver Alessandro Nannini. The B188 became the team's first naturally-aspirated car, in light of the upcoming ban on turbocharged engines. It suffered almost half the retirements of its predecessor and claimed seven podium finishes, all 3rd places. Both Benettons were later disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix for fuel irregularities. The team finished 3rd in the championship with 39 points.
For 1989, Boutsen left for Williams and was replaced by rookie Johnny Herbert. The new Ford engine for the B189 was not ready at the start of the season, so the team continued with the B188. Prior to his Formula One debut, Herbert had suffered a serious Formula 3000 crash that broke both his legs; he achieved some impressive results including 4th place in his first race, but was dropped after failing to qualify in Canada as it became clear he had not fully recovered. He was replaced by rookie McLaren test driver Emanuele Pirro. Nannini went on to achieve Benetton's first victory since 1986 at the Japanese Grand Prix after Ayrton Senna was disqualified. Pirro secured a single points finish, 5th in Australia. Benetton ended 4th in the championship with 39 points.
Prior to 1990, team management was fired and businessman Flavio Briatore was appointed team manager. Pirro was dropped in favour of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet, who had left the struggling Lotus team. 1990 proved to be the team's most successful to date: Piquet won the final two races of the season and the team achieved six other podium finishes. Late in the season, Nannini lost his right forearm in a helicopter crash; his arm was re-attached but the injuries ended his Formula One career. EuroBrun driver Roberto Moreno was hired as his replacement; the next race in Japan marked Benetton's first ever 1–2 finish and Moreno's first and only career podium. Benetton ended 1990 3rd in the championship with 71 points.
A new title sponsor was acquired for 1991 in the form of American cigarette brand Camel. An upgraded B190 was used for the first two races before the B191 debuted at the San Marino Grand Prix. Piquet achieved an unexpected victory in Canada after Nigel Mansell retired on the final lap, but only two other 3rd places were added to the tally. Benetton sought a young driver for the future, believing neither Moreno nor the ageing Piquet could fill the role. After Michael Schumacher had impressed in his debut for Jordan at the Belgian Grand Prix, he was hired for the following race in place of Moreno. Jordan protested the move in the British courts but the ruling went in Benetton's favour.
For 1992, Tom Walkinshaw Racing acquired a stake in Benetton, with Tom Walkinshaw and Ross Brawn brought in to run engineering operations. The team relocated from Witney, Oxfordshire to a new factory near the village of Enstone. Piquet had retired and was replaced by experienced Brabham driver Martin Brundle. The B192 was a marked improvement, with eleven podium finishes including a victory at Spa-Francorchamps — the first of Schumacher's career. Benetton ended 3rd in the championship with 91 points.
Brundle was unexpectedly dropped for 1993 in favour of veteran Riccardo Patrese, who had left Williams. The B193 took a single victory — Schumacher at the Portuguese Grand Prix — and ten other podium finishes, finishing 3rd in the championship for the fourth time in the team's history. Despite these results, Benetton could not provide Schumacher with a car to challenge for the world championship, being outclassed by the dominant Williams team.
Camel was replaced as title sponsor for 1994 by Japanese cigarette brand Mild Seven, and Benetton adopted sky blue as the main car colour. Patrese retired from Formula One, ending what was the longest career in the sport's history. He was replaced by Sauber driver JJ Lehto. However, Lehto was injured whilst testing the B194 prior to the season, and Benetton test driver Jos Verstappen was promoted to replace him. The B194 was dominant in Schumacher's hands, winning six of the first seven races including the tragedy-marred 1994 San Marino Grand Prix that claimed the life of Ayrton Senna. The B194 also took Benetton's first pole positions since 1986.
Schumacher finished 2nd at the British Grand Prix but was deemed to have overtaken Damon Hill on the formation lap and then ignored black flags; he was disqualified and subsequently handed a two-race ban. At the German Grand Prix, Verstappen's B194 burst into flames after being showered with fuel during a pit stop; he escaped with minor burns and returned to score two consecutive podiums. Another disqualification came for Schumacher after he finished 1st at the Belgian Grand Prix, with his car measured as having illegal wear on its skid block. His two-race ban was served at the following rounds, during which Lehto returned as a replacement. For the final two races, Benetton replaced Verstappen with the more experienced Johnny Herbert in an attempt to win the constructors' championship; this proved unsuccessful after Herbert retired from both races. Despite losing the constructors' championship to Williams, Schumacher won his first world title after colliding with championship rival Hill at the final race in Australia.
During the 1994 season, some rival teams claimed Benetton had violated the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids including traction control and launch control. On investigation, the FIA discovered "start sequence" (launch control) software in the Benetton B194 cars, and a variety of illegal software in rival teams' cars as well. The FIA found no evidence the software had been used, so penalties were minimal. No traction control software was found in the Benetton cars. Flavio Briatore, Benetton's chief in 1994, said in 2001: "Our only mistake was that at the time we were too young and people were suspicious."
After eight years of Ford power, Benetton switched to full-works Renault V10 engines for 1995, and Herbert was retained alongside Schumacher. Schumacher was initially critical of the new B195, but setup changes at the Spanish Grand Prix transformed his performance and he went on to take nine wins from seventeen races in total, claiming his second world title. Herbert took his first career podium in Spain and won the British and Italian Grands Prix. This combined effort won Benetton its first Constructors' Championship, ending Williams' three-year reign. Herbert later claimed the team had failed to provide him with equal equipment and had favoured Schumacher.
Benetton began racing under Italian nationality for 1996 but remained based in the United Kingdom. Schumacher left early to join Ferrari despite being contracted to Benetton, citing the team's actions in 1994. Herbert was dropped and joined Sauber. Their replacements were Jean Alesi and the returning Gerhard Berger, both of whom had left Ferrari. The B196 took ten podium finishes but the team failed to win a race for the first time since 1988; Alesi and Berger were on course to win in Monaco and Germany respectively but both retired late in the closing laps. Benetton finished 3rd in the championship with 68 points — less than half as many as in 1995.
By 1997, technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Rory Byrne, as well as numerous other staff, had left to join Schumacher at Ferrari. Berger was forced to miss three races due to illness and the death of his father; his replacement was rookie test driver Alexander Wurz. Wurz scored a podium in Britain in only his third Formula One race. Berger returned for the German Grand Prix, winning from pole position in dominant fashion — the last victory in Formula One for both Benetton and Berger, his 10th and final career win. Alesi took pole position in Italy but lost out due to a slow pit stop, finishing 2nd. Benetton ended 3rd in the championship with 67 points.
In 1998, Berger retired and Alesi left for Sauber. Test driver Wurz was promoted to a full-time seat, partnering Giancarlo Fisichella who arrived from Jordan. Renault pulled out of Formula One, leaving Benetton and Williams with a supply of Renault's 1997 engines developed by Mecachrome. Benetton re-branded these engines as Playlife, a sportswear brand owned by the Benetton family. Chief executive Flavio Briatore was removed and replaced by former World Rally Champion and Prodrive boss David Richards. Fisichella achieved two consecutive 2nd places in Monaco and Canada and pole position in Austria. Benetton became uncompetitive towards season's end, scoring just a single point in the final seven races, and partly blamed tyre supplier Bridgestone for favouring the more successful McLaren team. Benetton finished 5th in the championship with 33 points.
Richards departed after just one year and was replaced by Rocco Benetton for 1999 due to a disagreement with the Benetton family over strategy. The engines were now developed by Flavio Briatore's Supertec company but continued to be branded Playlife. The B199 was a disappointment: Fisichella's 2nd in Canada was the highlight, while the following ten races yielded only a single points finish — Wurz's 5th in Austria. Benetton ended 6th in the championship with 16 points, their worst ever finish.
Prior to 2000, the team was sold to Renault as the manufacturer sought a return to Formula One, though the Benetton name was retained. Flavio Briatore returned as team manager. The B200 claimed three podium finishes, all scored by Fisichella, including 2nd in Brazil after David Coulthard was disqualified. Wurz struggled and claimed only a single points finish — 5th in Italy. Benetton ended 4th in the championship with 20 points.
The Renault name returned to Formula One in 2001 as Benetton received full-works Renault engines. Wurz's struggles saw him replaced by a young Jenson Button, who had been dropped by Williams. The B201 often barely qualified in the top 20, and only a single point was salvaged in the first eleven races — Fisichella finishing 6th in Brazil after twelve other cars failed to finish. Fortunes improved from the German Grand Prix onwards, with Fisichella and Button finishing 4th and 5th respectively. Continued chassis development lifted the cars' performance; Button and Fisichella scored 10 points for the team in the latter part of the season, including an impressive podium for Fisichella in Belgium.
2001 was the final season under the Benetton name. The team was fully rebranded as the Renault F1 Team for 2002 and went on to win the drivers' and constructors' championships in both 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella. The team was later sold and became the Lotus F1 Team in 2012, then Renault re-purchased it and rebranded it the Renault Sport Formula One Team in 2016, before becoming Alpine in 2021. The team continues to operate from the Enstone site established by Benetton in 1992.
Schumacher accounts for 19 of the team's 27 race victories and both of their World Drivers' Championships.
Benetton held a British licence from 1986 to 1995 and an Italian licence from 1996 to 2001, becoming only the second constructor after Shadow in 1976 to officially change its nationality. At the 1997 German Grand Prix, Benetton became the only constructor to have won races under more than one nationality. The team was based in the United Kingdom throughout — initially at the former Toleman factory in Witney, Oxfordshire, before moving to the new factory at Enstone in 1992.
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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