A bad year for Benetton???

[Minardi fan]

Following this week's testing at Silverstone, the season looks bleak for Benetton. Jenson and Giancarlo were 4 seconds slower than Verstappen and Bernoldi's Arrows. The engine revs are incredibly low - lower than last year's Minardi. Fisichella left Silverstone yesterday in a less-than-good mood, whilst Button told us the car was incredibly slow and thus they were continuing testing into Friday (today). Our Benetton spies also tell us that the team are in the process of deciding upon whether to use last year's chassis or to redesign the whole thing in 2 weeks, as something has gone seriously wrong in the design process.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

[Valve Bounce]

There have been rumours about vibration in the 111 degree V10. Renault must get the basic engine design right soon, because this will also affect the chassis design. Unless they get things sorted out by mid season, Renault will be starting from scratch next year - and that's not what they aimed for. Maybe they can lend the engine to Minardi for additional testing during races. With traction control and automatic gears coming on line, there is a helluva lot of engine mapping to do, circuit mapping and so on, and Benneton can't do all that with a bung engine.

[Ralf's Girl]

Looks like it's going to be a real 'back to basics' season for Benetton, when they really seemed to be getting to grips with everything in the first half of 2000.

They can't possibly redesign the chassis by the time they need it in Australia. I guess they'll just have to develop as the season progresses, rather than being in there fighting for points right from the beginning.

[Valve Bounce]

I think Benneton are supposed to be flying out for Melbourne this weekend.

[Ralf's Girl]

No chance of a redesign, then!

[Valve Bounce]

There is more to chassis development and /or redesign. Aparently, the aerodynamics are critical because the way it affects the handling of the car in turn affects tyre wear. I picked this up on one of Michelins interviews on autorace.com. I would think that a major re-design would involve weeks of subsequent testing. Renault made it plain that they want to be in it to compete against the red and the silver cars next year - best of the rest is of no relevance. It will be very interesting how this year's performance, or lack of, will affect Bunsen's drive next year.

[Ralf's Girl]

I think they'll be struggling to make best of the rest in 2001, let alone compete with Ferrari and McLaren. If they're having trouble with pretty much everything in testing, they're not going to fare very well in racing. Competition with the top two is completely unrealistic, and best of the rest seems an overly-optimistic target at this point.

[Valve Bounce]

I think Renault ere talking about next year when Benneton will be fully taken over by Renault. The name Benneton will no longer exist in F1 then. From what MF says, I wonder if Benneton will even make the grid in Melbourne. I think that hte pole time will be very fast, which will make it very difficult for teams not sorted out to make the grid.

[Billy_Hunt]

And I had high hopes for Benneton this year with the all new singing Renault 111 degree V10 surely thing's can't be so bad they've done lot's of testing already.
Perhaps they just want everyone to think they have problems but really they are going to kick ass (oh well one can dream)
Neither Renault or Benetton are amateurs I'm sure they will sort it.

[TimD]

This is going to come across as really sappy but...

Having stood at trackside for Testing this week, the Benetton struck me as having a particularly distinctive engine note. A distinct growl in the lower registers which is unlike any other current powerplant.

For this reason alone, I really hope they get the wide-angle concept right. It sounds too good not to be effective.

Incidentally, I heard (thanks Mr Cooper) that the Benettons were running race fuel loads, so it's no wonder they were off the pace of the Jordans which were after qualifying data.

Although it was an unaccustomed sight watching the Arrows gaining on a Benetton hand-over-fist through the Luffield complex.

[DNQ]

Benetton will be pretty crappy in 2001. But remember 1977? Renault introduced turbo motors, they were an instant failure. But they stuck with them, and ended up revolutionising (spelling?) the sport. So, Benetton will be no good this year, but wait until 2004!

[Valve Bounce]

TimD if you were trackside, and MF if you actually spoke with the drivers, we expect a little more than just a couple of sentences about the testing. WE want facts - lost of it - tell us all about it. PLease.
I only wish the cars would finalise testing in Queensland where the weather has been magnificent for the past few weeks, and they would have got stacks of testing done at the right weather conditions. We can dream, that's all.

[TimD]

Trust me, Valve Bounce, there's not a great deal one can learn from being a casual spectator at a Silverstone test session.

The powers that be only allow you to stand at Woodcote, so you see the section from the entry to Luffield 1 to the start-finish gantry.

The Arrows did indeed seem quick in comparison with the Benetton, and seemed to be on a rev limiter or massive traction control exiting the corner. It seemed to get the power down quite nicely though.

Button in the Benetton seemed a bit squirrelly under acceleration in comparison.

We saw an Arrows come in under a tarp, having gone off somewhere, but no major damage done. And the Jordans seemed efficient, poised and quick.

But really I'm not the person to ask. Minardi Fan - over to you!

(Minardi Fan's determination to pester drivers at Silverstone test days is rapidly becoming legendary.)

[Mania]

Benetton are going to be at the back of the field no doubt. Flavio may have a big mouth but he knows what he`s doing. I reckon by next year, he would have signed a top driver as team leader in place of Fisicella. That would be one step in the right direction. Benetton's problems have been lack of design and development since Rory and Ross went to Ferrari. They have a new technical director but Mike hasnt had much to do with this year`s car so no wonder it's going to turn out to be another disaster.

Unfortunately for Fisicella, he went to Benetton at a wrong time. His career has really gone downhill since 1998. I still believe he`s one of the most talented drivers in F1 - but time's running out and Im pretty certain Flavio will cut him loose in 02.

[JensonF1]

Benetton say they were concentrating on endurance running with high fuel loads which would account for the lack of speed but I think the eye-witness accounts are still very worrying and they have shattered my confidence of Benetton this coming season.

However they are good enough to get it right in the long term. Jenson and co. will just have to stick it out.

Most worrying is the low-pitch sound of the Renault engine compared to other power units. Can this only mean lower revs? I think you would have to look further than that, because there are other things that could effect the sound coming from the engine relative to other engines. I think the position of the exausts would have something to do with that.

About the aerodynamics, I have confidence in the ex-Jordan staff - designer Mark Smith and technical director Mike Gascoyne both now at Benetton and the car looks very simerlar to this year's Jordan - especially the front nose cone, although I don't know if Mike left Jordan too early to have a hand in this year's car. I hope Mike has had time to influence the chassis design a lot because last year's design was dreadful resulting in big traction problems and poor straight line speed. I think Minardi's chassis was better than last year's Benetton.

- JensonF1.com

[Minardi fan]

The engine is worryingly low on revs. If you heard last year's Minardi, that had low revs because the engine was so old. The Benetton with it's spanky new Renault has even lower revs.

[Valve Bounce]

MF, are you going on direct reports from the drivers or the team about the engine revs, or are you going by the sound of the exhaust? If its the latter, then this might have been caused by the different exhaust configuration to take advantage of the exhaust resonance. If it is from direct reports from the Benneton staff, and I suspect that it is, then Renault are in deep poo poo this year. Because if the 111 degree doesn't work out, we are not talking about developing the engine, we are talking about the need for a new design to the same angle as the other V10's.
Regarding Fischela's future, I think it will be most unfortunate if Benneton is a lemon this year, because they will partially blame Fisi just to get rid of him and hold onto Bunsen. Despite the poor performing Benneton last year, Fisi did surprisingly well.

[ireshad]

As I've heard it (though admittedly from a source that I've no track record with) the problem lies firmly with the chassis. Essentially the car needed to be "armoured up" to pass the crash test and consequently is too heavy and badly unbalanced, hence the slow times.

[Valve Bounce]

Well, MF spoke to somebody in the team ( I think) who says the engine is not revving. Time will tell, because they will be qualifying in just a little over 4 days. Benneton have avery fast qualifier in Fisi, and Bunsen is no slouch either, so we will know in 4 days time how Benneton will perform for the rest of the year.

[Sparky]

I was there too, and the Renault definately was not revving. If we assume that Jordan was running around 18,000rpm, it sounded like the Benetton wasn't getting much more than 14,000 to 15,000rpm at best. We heard they were running fuel loads to simulate race length stuff, and that Jordan were going for qualifying trim, but that still doesn't explain the obvious difference in redline capability. I reckon it's got more to do with the electro-magnetic valve control system than anything else. (Unless of course, the rev-limit was self-imposed due to the vibrations...

Gascoyne has since said in the press that this year will be a development year prior to Renault's full return in '02.

[Sparky]

Well, we all heard it - that Renault sounds like it has a few plug leads disconnected. That deep grumble sounds more like an old Supertourer than a Brand new F1 V10.

Can we assume they are only able to run lower revs because of the new electro-magnetic valve control system, or because the block is too flexible, or... what?

It certainly wasn't performing how it should. Fisi and Button were able to progress to 9th/11th due to problems with the competition, surely?

What do you think now you've seen the Benetton turn a wheel in anger?

[Wrex]

I was at the track, and it was a very sick puppy indeed. Although not fast, it does have a very distictive sound.

Fisi started the year THINKING he may get fired from Benetton, now he's probably HOPING!!

Renault cannot be underestimated though and although most of this year will be a total write off (fighting off Arrows & the suprising Minardi's) next year they will be on the money & well on there way to the domination they are used to.

[kuchi]

I think we might start to see bennetton getting in the points by the end of the season. But as some of you have said, next year they´re going to be up, and really strong. As a friend of mine has said, we must be scared of what renault can do, so wait and see.

[RussianFriend]

Renault has started from scretches. They have unlearned to build engines (superteck is not the engine) and need more time to learn again.

However Renault isn't worse then Ford made 4 years ago. Therefore the chassis is the weak point to improve.

[Dooly Tilly]

you may think beneton had a bad year but just think what it would be like with DC behind the wheel