NewsOnF1 - How patient can Benetton

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From World Champions in '95 to backmarkers in '01. In less than 6 years the Benetton team has been on a continuos slide. This will be the last year for Benetton in Formula 1 as they will return as Renault in 2002 after the giant car maker bought them last year. Their departure from the sport will not be on a high.

Following the takeover by Renault, the team indicated that this year will be a testing year as they develop their revolutionary 111° V10 engine which in theory will rev at 20,000 rpm giving the team a massive advantage over the competition. At the moment, it is believed that those engines are running at around 17,000 rpm mainly due to reliability issues with the units. This has resulted in the team having their worst ever season battling with Minardi at the back of the grid and having a best qualifying position of 16th this year!. And there doesn't seem to be light at the end of the tunnel soon. The team announced that they don't expect major improvements until the French GP in July.

Renault however have an incredible history in Formula 1 having won 95 Formula 1 races out of 291 starts. From 1991 until 1997, a Renault powered car has won at least 7 races in every season. In 1995 they won all the races that season with the exception of one. Surely they know what they are doing.

They surely can't get any worse but if you are running consistently at the back, how much can you improve ? Are they going to lose their patience or will they rise to the top faster than the speed by which they came falling down ? - Have Your Say (What others are saying)

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What others are saying:

To be honest Renault let it far too late too make their decision better yet there return. to be successful look at Toyota they have had their team in plan for about 3 years, so I think Toyota will be a top3 finisher in the championship. Renault shouldn't have left in the first place because now the have to get used to the different engine specs - Chris - Australia

Well...I remember when back in 1994 and 1995 Benetton was simply the best.

I've always liked the Benetton team and my father is a big fan of them. We had a Renault car for 16 years "now we have a Nissan".

Benetton have decided to risk a lot by creating a new radical 111degrees engine and new aerodynamics. It is obvious that it takes time to make it work. I just hope for Flavio Briatore that it will work eventually.

Giancarlo Fisichella's future is very unstable in fact if he'll upset he will not be able to hold his position and will have to drop back to the lower teams while Jenson Button is still very young. I truly believe that if Jenson will remain with Benetton for the 2 years he will gain such a load positive experience that he will certainly need if he is to made the grade "at Ferrari or McLaren".

Benetton...I hope they will get bak on terms as soon as this year. Gasgoigne said that the car will be at his best from Montreal so we'll see but for me this year will be a year to forget - Rob - Australia.

Quite clearly Renault decided to 'write off' this season before it began. The wide-angled engine has a huge theoretical advantage over the "V-shape" if it can be mastered.

This is not necessarily in terms of the revs/power it can produce (it is already thought that the BMW/Mercedes units can run at 18,000 - 20,000 rpm) but it terms of the benefits the flatter shape could bring to the car aerodynamics.

Renault's history in F1 hints that they will be far more competitive in future than they are now - Dunder - Hong Kong.