Allegations of cheating during the 1994 Formula One World Championship

[1] Initially, Benetton was alleged to have been using illegal traction control software to their advantage in races; however, this could not be sufficiently proven by the FIA and was only confirmed in 2015 when Willem Toet, one of Benetton's engineers that season, wrote an article on his Linkedin account describing how the team developed a traction control system using spark cutting.

[3] Following the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the Benetton, Ferrari, and McLaren teams were investigated on suspicion of breaking the FIA-imposed ban on electronic aids.

Max Mosley, the president of Formula One's governing body, the FIA, spoke in favour of banning traction control, saying that the systems "could be extremely dangerous and unpredictable".

[8] Around the same time as the announcement regarding the technical regulations for the 1994 season, many in the sport were questioning the legality of active suspensions, which was a key factor in their ban for 1994.

[5] Some in the paddock regarded the decision as an attempt to restrict Williams, as the team held a strong advantage with its active suspension and other driver aids.

[5][10] The unraced concept of continuously variable transmission (CVT) was also banned; it was well known that Williams had spent several years developing and testing such a system, which threatened to further increase their cars' advantage if introduced.

[7] Behind the scenes at Williams, they considered the timing of the announcement as "regrettable", with some questioning if Nigel Mansell's 1992 Formula One World Championship victory would still be regarded as valid.

As a result, all team personnel working on the car during pit stops had to wear fire-protective clothing as a safety precaution.

[11] It was also suggested the rule changes could benefit the Ferrari team, as the outfit had struggled with the introduction of its driver aids,[5] and stood to gain from the re-introduction of refuelling due to its V12 engine configuration, which was less fuel-efficient than the V10s and V8s built by their rivals.

[12] During the weekend of the 1994 Pacific Grand Prix, Ferrari test driver Nicola Larini (who had replaced Jean Alesi for the early part of the season) leaked to the Italian media that he had used traction control during the practice session for the race.

[21] More changes came into force for the 1994 Canadian Grand Prix on 12 June and the 1994 German Grand Prix on 31 July, with the introductions of pump fuel (more closely related to commercially available fuel, slightly reducing horsepower, and engine performance) and the plank (a piece of wood running along the underside of the chassis that is monitored for excessive wear, increasing ride height and thus decreasing grip).

[23][24] Allegations of cheating reignited at the 1994 French Grand Prix when, starting from third on the grid, Schumacher overtook both of the Williams drivers, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell, leading into the first corner of the race.

[26] In July 1994, the FIA announced that it had analyzed Benetton's black boxes from Imola and found a launch control system in the software.

[29] Benetton further stated that the driver's aid was only used in testing and that it was elaborate in order to prevent it being switched on accidentally, and that the launch control could only be started by recompilation of the source code.

He also expressed his belief it was Schumacher's technique that Senna initially mistook for illegal traction control during the Pacific Grand Prix.

[3][25][33] After the British Grand Prix, Schumacher and Benetton were fined $25,000 for breaching Formula One sporting regulations, with the FIA choosing to open an investigation surrounding the events at the race.

[3][25] Intertechnique, the company that manufactured the refuelling equipment for all the teams, was delegated by the governing body to examine the Benetton factory shortly after the German race.

After Intertechnique's examination, a statement was released by the FIA, stating that "the [fuel] valve was slow to close because of the presence of a foreign body" and that a filter designed to eliminate any possible risk of fire had been removed.

An estimate by an outside party stated that without the filter, fuel flowed into the car at a 12.5% faster rate than usual, saving one second per pit stop.

[25] Benetton issued a press release shortly after, announcing that they had contacted an "independent company specialising in accident investigation" to give opinions on the refuelling method.

As a result of their findings, the FIA announced that Benetton would be summoned to a World Motor Sport Council meeting on 19 October.

[37] Benetton launched an immediate appeal, with a FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting set for 5 September.

[45] Schumacher and Benetton, along with three other drivers, were summoned to a FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting on 26 July to discuss his black flag at the British Grand Prix.

In addition to the punishment handed to Schumacher, Benetton was fined a total of $500,000 to $600,000 for not listening to the stewards' at the British race and $100,000 for not sending copies of their engine management system when immediately requested.

Their priority now is to prepare for a winning performance this weekend.Schumacher's appeal regarding the two race ban was rejected at the FIA International Court of Appeal, with the FIA opting to keep his two race ban intact, meaning he would miss the 1994 Italian Grand Prix on 11 September and the 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix on 25 September.

[47] The World Motor Sport Council hearing surrounding Benetton and the fuel fire at Hockenheim was brought forward to 7 September, with the disqualification of Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix also moved to the same day.

In giving the World Council's decision, the President [Max Mosley] stated that its unanimous view was that the filter was removed in complete good faith and that it would be inappropriate to impose any penalty whatsoever.At the same hearing, the McLaren team was found to be in breach of the technical regulations over a fully-automatic gearbox upshift device in the transmission system that was confirmed to have been run in Mika Häkkinen's car during the San Marino Grand Prix.

[48] The FIA's discovery of this device occurred when McLaren test driver Philippe Alliot, who had taken a race seat at Larrousse mid-season, commented on the fact that the cars of his new team did not possess such a facility.