Benetton B186
mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | |||||||||||
| Transmission | Benetton 6-speed manual | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 1,350–1,400 hp (1,010–1,040 kW) (qualifying trim) 850–900 hp (630–670 kW) (race-spec) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 548 kg (1,208 lb) | ||||||||||
| Fuel | BMW Wintershall | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Benetton Formula Ltd | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 19.  Teo Fabi20.  Gerhard Berger | ||||||||||
| Debut | 1986 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 1986 Mexican Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 1986 Mexican Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 1986 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
The Benetton B186 is a Formula One racing car, built and raced by the Benetton team for the 1986 Formula One World Championship. It was the first car to be constructed and raced by Benetton, which had bought the Toleman team at the end of 1985 after several years of sponsoring it and other teams, including Alfa Romeo and Tyrrell.
The B186 was a competitive car: in the hands of drivers Gerhard Berger and Teo Fabi, it set two pole positions, three fastest laps, and was victorious at the 1986 Mexican Grand Prix.
The B186, along with the Brabham BT52, BT55, Arrows A9 and other BMW-engined cars from 1983 to 1986 are some of the most powerful Grand Prix cars ever built. The B186 in particular, being the most competitive of the BMW engined cars that season could produce 1,350+ hp in qualifying trim, and about 900 hp in race trim.
Concept
Despite the buyout of the small Toleman team by the financial power of the
Both the BMW M12/13 and Hart engines used the
Construction
The deal between Benetton and Toleman was only agreed in October 1985, leaving precious little time before the first race of the 1986 season on March 23 in
The livery of the B186 reflected its ownership: in addition to the Benetton green and team sponsors (principally Sisley and Riello) which covered the front and sidepods of the car, the engine cover was adorned with multi-coloured streaks on a white background.[5] This indicated the Benetton Group's "United Colors of Benetton" brand. The team also ran with tyres that had multi-coloured sidewalls at the Detroit Grand Prix (see infobox picture).
Development
The sheer top-end power of the BMW engines (around 1,400 bhp (1,044 kW; 1,419 PS) in qualifying trim, with around 900 bhp (671 kW; 912 PS) for racing)
Once the supply of spare parts had been assured by mid-season, the B186s were modified to incorporate a whole array of new aerodynamic features (including front and rear wings and a revised underbody), new suspension packages, and revised setup concepts.
Racing history
"
Monza. And the power was unbelievable - even if the turbo delay was terrible. You'd open the throttle at the entry to the corner only to get the power at the exit. And if you missed it by five or 10 metres, there was nothing you could do - you just spun it. The lag was about one or two seconds.and just kept on pushing - you felt like you were sitting on a rocket."
At Zeltweg, down the long straight to the Bosch Kurve, the car was throwing out 1400 bhp
Gerhard Berger (speaking in 2007) on the B186.[9]
The B186 finished in the points in the first three races of the season, including a podium for Berger at the
During the 2nd Qualifying session at Monza, Berger's B186 was speed trapped at a season's fastest 351.22 km/h (218.24 mph) while Fabi was second having been clocked at 349.85 km/h (217.39 mph). Berger's speed trap would be the second fastest recorded of the original turbo era in Formula One (1977-1988), beaten only by the
Benetton finally won its first Grand Prix in
Benetton comfortably outperformed fellow-BMW users Brabham and
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts. | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Benetton Formula Ltd | S4 tc
|
P | BRA | ESP | SMR | MON | BEL | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | AUT | ITA | POR | MEX | AUS | 19 | 6th | |
| Teo Fabi | 10 | 5 | Ret | Ret | 7 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 8 | Ret | 10 | ||||||
| Gerhard Berger | 6 | 6 | 3 | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | Ret | 7 | 5 | Ret | 1 | Ret |
Current locations
The current known locations of the B186 chassis are as follows:
- 2: on display in the museum at the Mondello Park circuit in Ireland.[12]
- 4: written off by Fabi during practice for the Canadian Grand Prix.[6]
- 5: In Sydney, Australia, rebuilt and competing in historic racing[13] - later sold to a collector in Adelaide, South Australia in late 2015.
- 6: on display at the BMW Museum in Munich.
References
- Footnotes
- ^ Hamilton (ed.), pp.53, 56
- ^ Jenkinson, Denis (March 1986). "The Formula One Scene". Motor Sport. Vol. 62, no. 3. p. 252.
- ^ a b c d e Ménard (ed.), pp.144-145
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hamilton (ed.), p.49
- ^ a b c d e f g Spurring, p.162
- ^ a b c Hamilton (ed.), p.228
- ^ Hamilton (ed.), p.53
- ^ "BENETTON B186". gurneyflap.com. Gurney Flap. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ van de Burgt, Andrew, ed. (December 2007). "Photo Finish: The Story Behind the Picture - 1986: Austrian Grand Prix". Autosport. Vol. 190, no. 12. p. 102.
- ^ Hamilton (ed.), p.18
- ^ Hamilton (ed.), p.180
- ^ "Mondello Museum". Facebook. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Browning, Michael (2008-03-04). "Bowe to race F5000 at Phillip Island Classic". shannons.com.au. Shannons Insurance. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- Books
- Hamilton, Maurice, ed. (1986). ISBN 0-905138-44-9.
- Ménard, Pierre, ed. (2006). The Great Encyclopedia of Formula 1. Chronosports S.A. ISBN 2-84707-123-7.
- Spurring, Quentin (2005). Formula 1 in Camera 1980-89. Haynes Publishing. ISBN 1-84425-109-8.
External links
