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 Michael Schumacher driving the B194 at the1994 British Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Benetton | ||||||||||
| Designers | Ross Brawn(Technical Director) Rory Byrne(Chief Designer) Pat Symonds(Head of R&D) Willem Toet(Head of Aerodynamics) Geoff Goddard(Chief Engine Designer) (Ford-Cosworth) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | B193 | ||||||||||
| Successor | B195 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibremonocoque | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbones, pushrod | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbones, pushrod | ||||||||||
| Axle track | Front: 1,690 mm (67 in) Rear: 1,618 mm (63.7 in) | ||||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,880 mm (113 in) | ||||||||||
| Engine | Ford EC Zetec-R, 3,498 cc (213.5 cu in), 75°V8,NA,mid-engine,longitudinally mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Benetton transverse 6-speed sequentialsemi-automatic | ||||||||||
| Power | 730–740 hp (544.4–551.8 kW) @ 14,500 rpm[2] | ||||||||||
| Weight | 515 kg (1,135 lb) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Elf | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Mild SevenBenettonFord | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 5. Michael Schumacher6.  Jos Verstappen6.  JJ Lehto6.  Johnny Herbert | ||||||||||
| Debut | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 1994 European Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 1994 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (1994,Michael Schumacher) | ||||||||||
TheBenetton B194 is a Formula One racing car designed byRory Byrne for use by theBenetton team in the1994 Formula One World Championship.
This was the last Ford-powered Benetton F1 car since theB187 in 1987.
The car was closely based on its predecessors, theB192 andB193, and powered by aFordZetec-R V8 engine (produced byCosworth but funded by and badged as a Ford), designed and developed by Geoff Goddard. The electronic driver aids that 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 and was most competitive in the hands of Schumacher on twisty tracks, unlike the earlyWilliams FW16 which proved difficult to drive thanks to Williams's dependence on electronic driving aids in the previous season.Michael Schumacher's B194 remained the most competitive driver/car combination until Williams introduced a B-spec car at theGerman Grand Prix.[citation needed] The car also gained an anhedral lower rear wing element, similar to the one on the FW16, starting at theCanadian 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 a start sequence (launch control) system was discovered in the cars' onboard computer systems but no traction control. In the end, the governing body could not prove the systems had been used so the complaints were dropped.
The car was very competitive in the hands ofMichael Schumacher. Schumacher won six of the first seven races of the season after his initial main rival,Ayrton Senna,was killed at theSan Marino Grand Prix. Schumacher himself was subject to controversy, after being disqualified from theBritish Grand Prix and then theBelgian Grand Prix which allowedDamon 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 Hill and Schumacher ended the 1994 drivers' title in Schumacher's favour.
Starting with the1994 Pacific Grand Prix, Schumacher's car was adorned with small red accents, presumably to help spectators and television commentators distinguish his car from that of his teammates. During thepreceding race, announcers from both ESPN and the BBC twice mistook the no. 6 Benetton as the no. 5 car. Schumacher commented years later that the B194 was actually quite a handful to drive, being twitchy at the rear end.
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Schumacher had three team-mates—JJ Lehto,Jos Verstappen, andJohnny Herbert—during the course of the season. All found the B194 difficult to drive; Verstappen said in 1996 that "I must have a little the same driving style as Johnny because he said basically the same things about that car that I did and seems to have had the same feelings. It was a very difficult car. You could not feel the limit and so you were pushing and pushing and then suddenly it would have oversteer. Normally when you get oversteer you can control it but the Benetton would go very suddenly and so you ended up having a spin. I had big problems with that car."[3]
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 theB195 for1995.
The B194 sporting a new light blue livery, reflecting their new main sponsorMild Seven, replacingCamel. Benetton used the 'Mild Seven' logos, except at theBritish,German andFrench Grands Prix.
Throughout the season, the team gained several sponsors includingOracle andMinichamps.
The Benetton B194 is featured in theF1 2020 video game as aDLC for the "Deluxe Schumacher Edition".[4]
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Mild SevenBenettonFord | Ford EC Zetec-RV8 | 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 | 1 | 2 | Ret | ||||||||
| Jos Verstappen | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret | 5 | Ret | ||||||||||||
| JJ Lehto | Ret | 7 | Ret | 6 | 9 | Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Herbert | Ret | Ret |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Autosport Racing Car Of The Year 1994 | Succeeded by |
