Benetton hoping for better fortune

Champions with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995, Benetton's only victory since then came when Gerhard Berger took the 1997 German Grand Prix.

In the past two seasons young stars Alex Wurz and Giancarlo Fisichella have had to be content with occasional visits to the podium and the team slipped to sixth in the 1999 constructors' standings.

'We know what it is like to win and we want that feeling again,' said Benetton, who has hired a number of new design staff from the defunct Honda works team project.

'We hope 2000 will give us a slight let-up in our luck and so we can show everyone how hard we work.'

'I sincerely hope for a better car next year,' added Fisichella. 'I don't know anything about the new design people but the engineers are happy with them and I believe in the engineers.

'This is a top team and there is an opportunity for them to be stronger, to be in the top five or six positions.'