Improvements Don't Pay Off for Benetton

The Benetton team could not benefit from the improvements introduced for the French Grand Prix, and endured yet another disappointing race on Sunday.

The Renault-owned team introduced yesterday a new evolution of the French engine as well as an improved aerodynamic package, but both Giancarlo Fisichella and teammate Jenson Button were unable to improve their poor qualifying positions and the Italian finished in eleventh place while the young Brit retired.

"I had a bad first lap because I touched Jos Verstappen's Arrows and lost a few positions as a result," said Fisichella. "I think I must have done a little damage, because something felt strange in the suspension and the car was odd under braking. But things improved as the race wore on and it did not work out too badly for us. I am not too unhappy to have finished 11th."

Button, struggling at the back of the grid in his second full season in Formula One, endured a torrid race when, initially, his Renault engine began to misfire. After that, the 21 year-old spun at the Adelaide hairpin before going off the track with four laps to go.

"The engine started to cut before my second stop, and when I pitted Giancarlo was already there ­ not ideal, but because I had a fuel pressure problem I had no option but to come in at that moment," said Button.

"I had a small spin towards the end because I had lots of oversteer ­ and I was pushing so hard that I flat-spotted a tyre and had to cope with a good deal of vibration in the final stint."