HISTORY

Formula
Benetton

Benetton has left a permanent mark in the Formula 1 world. In the early 1980s, United Colors of Benetton first sponsored the English Tyrrell team and then the Italian Alfa Romeo team. But the revolution took place in 1986, when Luciano Benetton decided to take over a team for about two million pounds. t was the beginning of an exciting adventure. In the early years, Benetton Formula played the part of the outsider, whose job it was to annoy the two great teams of the moment: Williams and Ferrari. Between 1988 and 1990, Benetton collected two bronzes and a fourth place in the world constructors' classification, with a handful of victories on prestigious circuits. In 1991, Benetton Formula signed a young German driver: Michael Schumacher. After a third-place finish in 1993, Schumacher won the drivers' classification in 1994 and made the next year's break, bringing Benetton to triumph in the constructors' classification as well. It was the pinnacle for the Benetton Formula, which in the following years got good placings. In 2001 - after having participated in 260 Grand Prix, winning 27 of them - the team was sold to Renault. The balance for Benetton is positive: in addition to the victories on the track, the adventure in Formula 1 brought with it an exponential increase in brand popularity and extensive know-how on high-tech fibers and fabrics, acquired while studying the drivers’ clothing.