Benetton B195

The Benetton B195 is a Formula One racing car designed by Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn for use by the Benetton team in the 1995 Formula One World Championship.

Benetton B195
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorBenetton Formula Ltd.
Designer(s)Ross Brawn (Technical Director)
Rory Byrne (Chief Designer)
Nikolas Tombazis (Head of Aerodynamics)
PredecessorB194
SuccessorB196
Technical specifications[1]
ChassisCarbon fibre monocoque
Suspension (front)Double wishbone, pushrod
Suspension (rear)Double wishbone, pushrod
EngineRenault RS7, 3,000 cc (183.1 cu in), 67° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted
TransmissionBenetton transverse 6-speed semi-automatic
Power675–750 bhp (503–559 kW; 684–760 PS) @ 14,300-15,500 rpm (16,000 rpm limit)
FuelElf
TyresGoodyear
Competition history
Notable entrantsMild Seven Benetton Renault
Notable drivers1. Michael Schumacher
2. Johnny Herbert
Debut1995 Brazilian Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesF.Laps
171148
Constructors' Championships1 (1995)
Drivers' Championships1 (1995, Michael Schumacher)

Overview

The B195 is similar to its predecessor, the B194, but a change of engine supplier from Ford to Renault resulted in a redesign of the engine installation, gearbox and rear suspension. The car was powered by the same Renault RS7 V10 engine used by Benetton's rivals, Williams, in their FW17. Being less stable than the FW17, the B195 was seen by most paddock insiders as inferior to its rival. The B195 was said to be very twitchy to drive and Schumacher was quite critical of the car.[2] When Gerhard Berger came from Ferrari to Benetton in late 1995 during winter testing, he found the balance of the car very poor.[3] Schumacher made the comment: "If he had driven the car at the beginning of the season, he would have spun in the pit-lane!"

Schumacher driving the B195 at the 1995 British Grand Prix.

The car was designed with the aerodynamic limitations the FIA imposed for the season including smaller wings, better crash protection and the reduction of engine size from 3.5 to 3.0 litres. The car underwent two major design changes during the season: the first concerned the airbox, which debuted with a 'hump' shape; by the time of the French Grand Prix, the shape had reverted to the familiar slope that was used by the rest of the teams; the other change concerned the front wing; at the start of the season, the wing had two 'notches' on either side; by the time of the German Grand Prix, the notches were gone, and the wing was flatter, in line with what the other top teams were running. As was the case in the previous season, Schumacher's car was adorned with a number of small red accents, the better to help distinguish his car from his teammates.

After an initial disqualification and subsequent re-instatement of victory in Brazil (although the constructor's points were not reinstated),[4] Michael Schumacher carried on from where he had left off in 1994, and battled Damon Hill for the world championship. The two drivers had several collisions and near misses just as in 1994, the most notable was at the British Grand Prix that year when Hill attempted to pass and took both him and Schumacher out of the race. Schumacher capitalised on further mistakes by Williams and Hill and took nine victories, easily retaining his championship, whilst Johnny Herbert took victory at Silverstone and Monza, another race where Hill and Schumacher had a crash.[5]

By season's end, Herbert was openly accusing the team of favouring Schumacher and receiving inferior treatment and equipment.[6]

Benetton team won its first (and only) Constructors' Championship that season, but most of their key technical staff defected to Ferrari when Schumacher signed for them for the 1996 season.

The Benetton B195 was featured in the Codemasters F1 2020[7] video game as a DLC for the "Deluxe Schumacher Edition".

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pts. WCC
1995 Mild Seven Benetton Renault Renault RS7
V10		 G BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR EUR PAC JPN AUS 137 1st
Michael Schumacher 1^ 3 Ret 1 1 5 1 Ret 1 11 1 Ret 2 1 1 1 Ret
Johnny Herbert Ret 4 7 2 4 Ret Ret 1 4 4 7 1 7 5 6 3 Ret

^ – Schumacher's win at the Brazilian Grand Prix did not count towards Constructors' Championship points as the FIA did not reinstate the constructor's points after the initial disqualification due to fuel irregularities was overturned.

References
  • Henry, Alan (ed.) (1995). AUTOCOURSE 1995-96. Hazleton Publishing. pp. 42–45. ISBN 1-874557-36-5.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  1. "Benetton B195". www.statsf1.com.
  2. ""The ugly duckling", the story of Benetton's B195 - Racing Comments Archive". The Autosport Forums. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  3. "History: Michael Schumacher Special: Part 4 - The second world title and a nightmare in Jerez". GPToday.net. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  4. "Brazilian GP, 1995". www.grandprix.com. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  5. "Benetton-Renault B195". sinsheim.technik-museum.de. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  6. "Herbert berates Benetton". The Independent. 8 September 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  7. "Codemasters.com Benetton B195 in F1 2020 Game". Retrieved 7 July 2020.
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