Verstappen: Schumacher's 1994 Benetton was illegal

Not really a revelation: the FIA banned MS for several races based on a silly technicality. That was a hidden penalty for the illegal car. MS won the title anyway and that was deserved

 

17 year old accusations of cheating just don't make it on my radar. I firmly believe all the teams cheat to some extent so, imo, it's a "who cares" situation.

Mark

 

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Race teams do not knowlingly cheat, they just interpret the space between the lines in the rules differently.

 

It's not news - at the end of 1994, the FIA discovered that the Benetton ECU still had the traction control software in the code, but the activation sequence was moved to a hidden menu that required a specific new sequence of inputs to activate (ie select the hidden blank line below the last line on the laptop menu, pull the gear paddles together, etc etc). In other words, Benetton didn't disable the traction control software after 1993 as they were mandated to do by the rule change, they just hid it - and it could have been activated at any time by a race engineer plugged in to the car (ie starting grid) along with the driver.

BUT - since the FIA couldn't prove that Benetton actually used the illegal traction control software, they decided not to penalize them. Quite a difference in approach from 2007, where they couldn't prove that McLaren used any of the Ferrari documents stolen by Stepney, but just the possesion of the documents by a McLaren employee was enough to get them the record fine.

Meanwhile, Senna was absolutely, 100% certain that Benetton was using the traction control in 1994 races, after standing trackside watching the Benetton circulate after his Williams broke down.

 

Couldn't have written better myself.

 

LOL...a driver complaining? LOL!!! Ahahahha...it was implied to me that only Rubens did this - I guess not.

MB

 

Of course not. They all complain.

It's just that Rubens does it so well...

 

+1

 

Since Verstappen also drove for Benetton, and did absolutely terrible in respect to Schumacher, one has to start thinking why didn't they give both drivers the alleged traction control? Verstappen even jumped into MSC's car a few times and did no better than in his own.

Fact of the matter is, Verstappen has always been a ****ing cry baby about everything (just read some of the stuff he was saying when he was (or wasn't) driving to the Dutch press...).

Fact of the matter is that he's a good starter and that's it. In the wet he's also good but he's never done anything particularly impressive.

Let sleeping dogs lie...or go back to beating your wife, girlfriend, or random dads at the kart tracks...

 

And to add to my previous post; one could maybe get away with cheating for a season and take the championship. Not 7 freaking times.

I can't believe Verstappen, who was supposed to be a good friend of Schumacher (they even went on holiday together with wives/kids) would accuse him of this so much later.

To me it doesn't add up. Surely the FIA would spot the actuator (as I'm sure you'd need one), no matter how small, in all of their technical check ups? Traction control is also very audible in my experience...

 

It is just yet another driver who doesn't want to believe that anyone else really could have been quicker than them. The thing about racing is that a driver can always find someone else to blame when their performances are not up to scratch.

The 1994 Benetton may or may not have been a bit dodgy (and in the article Vertappen is just mumbling about it not being absolutely refuted) but Schumacher won 7 World Titles and Verstappen didn't and if Verstappen really wants to know why then he needs to look a lot closer to home.

Jonathan

 

I agree with so many opinions this is the shortest way for me to agree with them.

 

I´m not the biggest fan of FIA nor Charlie Whiting but Alonso and De La Rosa admitted that they were using the stolen documents.

And Senna´s ears and words are not an irrefutable argument about the illegality of the Benetton car. Specially when the Benetton team was seriously kicking his ass at that time.

 

Probably as you do I remember watching and recording the entire '94 season and if memory serves me a few times I had questions but those could just aswell be a product of the master at work?

 

The one thing that is interesting in the article is the mention of improved acoustic analysis techniques. It'd be interesting if somebody actually goes to that length to "prove" that traction control was used.

Not that we need proof, the circumstantial evidence was there that they had traction control and used it. That's why MS was banned from several races in that season. Not officially, but everybody who follows the sport knew why. Plus the cheating with leaving off the fuel filter on refueling, which led to a hot BBQ day for Jos in Hockenheim.

 

+1

Sour grapes from Jos "Not the boss" Verstappen. Move along, nothing to see here...

Just doesn't add up...why put T/C in just one car? Also, once the allegations of T/C were made, why did MS continue to thrash Verstappen? Yawn. Plus I find it funny how Jos can't possibly entertain the fact that MS was in a different league than his own, nevermind the fact that MS would go on to win 6 more titles and Jos fade into obscurity.


"BUT BUT BUT....I always beat him at karting!!!"

 

LMAO

 

I couldn't care less whether Jos also had traction control or not. He never had the talent MS had, it is irrelevant.

Senna said MS had traction control and who am I to argue with a God?
As I said before the FIA handed down the hardest punishment I've ever seen in F1 and MS won anyway.

I'm only curious whether the acoustic analysis part is going anywhere. Partly also because I think it could help in that other great mystery from Dallas with 3 or 4 shots

 

lol

 

Thats why I only watch NASCAR




I love the old boy NASCAR schtick; "If you aint cheatin: You aint tryin"

And you think the Benneton car was illegal...
Brawn at Ferrari; "Michael we need one more second (per lap)" while in the lead.

 

I know I'm going to catch some flak for this one but I think Senna felt threatened by Schumacher's obvious talent...

 

Of course he did but I don't doubt his comments. Along with the post season findings of the software analysis, the insane FIA penalty and MS unreal starts.

MS was just as talented as Senna but he had an alleged underdog of a car. With traction control that car was probably par with the mighty Williams.

 

The '94 Benetton was inspected and inspected and inspected. It had launch control but no traction control as there were no sensors ever found anywhere. Traction control requires sensors all over the car from the foot pedal to every suspension bit and wheel. None were ever found. The software was in the ECU but no sensors were present to use it. I wonder if they used only a very small part of it utilizing a sensor that could never be found ie, something inside the gearbox. It did have LC though.