The Motor Museum in Miniature

1988 Benetton B188 

   Benetton came into F1 as sponsors for the Tyrrell team and later the Toleman team who the Family bought at the end of 1985 to set up their own team from 1986. Their chief designer, Rory Byrne, was destined for greatness and his ability was already being shown in these early designs. Benetton had exclusive use of the Ford DFR V8 engine, a 3,493 cc, 90º V8 NA unit. 

   It was reliable and quick. Allied to a great looking, and ultimately effective, chassis and Benetton's own 6 speed gearbox the car proved to be the class of the normally aspirated runners. The team picked up 7 third places, 5 for Thierry Boutsen and 2 for Alessandro Nannini, the first of which came at the British GP, His first career podium. Boutsen's 5 podiums scored him 27 points. Good enough for 4th in the drivers championship. A further 12 points courtesy of Nannini s gave the Team a total of 39 points, 3rd in the constructors championship. 

   The weather was awful on the 10th of July 1988, for the XLI Shell Oils British GP, the race was held in the pouring rain (oh, the days before safety cars) at Silverstone Circuit. Despite the wet the top three maintained their grid slots into the first corner, Berger leading Alboreto and Senna. Prost's start was awful and he fell back to 9th. Ivan Capelli's 6th place grid slot for March came to nothing as electrical problems slowed him and he was out by mid race when his alternator packed up. Nannini started from 8th and made good progress to get himself into the battle for 3rd position with Mauricio Gugelmin and Nigel Mansell by lap 14. Berger was driving well but by lap 20 Senna had overhauled him and finally scraped into the lead. Once in clean air, and able to see, Senna was at his wet weather best and built himself an insurmountable lead, winning by 23 seconds at the end of the 65 laps. Nannini had the first of three spins which Mansell and Gugelmin took advantage of then on lap 22 Mansell passed Michele Alboreto and was up to second place! Mansell sought out the wet parts of the track to cool his tyres and using all his strength and bravado set fastest lap on lap 48 (1m:23.308s translating to a speed of 206km/h, in the rain). Attrition took out several cars in the second half of the race. Prost retired with handling woes and Berger, running in fuel saving mode and losing places quickly, actually ran out of fuel on the last corner, dropping from 5th down to 9th. Alboreto didn't get that far running out of fuel on lap 63. 

   Thus Nannini came back up the field taking 3rd place and scoring his first F1 podium. Gugelmin finished fourth for March and picked up his first world championship points too.