Michael Schumacher Season: Benetton (1991–1993)
Michael Schumacher's 1992 was his second season in Formula One and first full season.
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Schumacher recorded his first win at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, the same Grand Prix that he had made his debut one year earlier.
After the conclusion of the 1991 Formula One Season, Schumacher would be viewed as a potential future World Champion after his enormously successful debut the previous season. In his first race with the Jordan team he had outpaced his highly experienced teammate Andrea de Cesaris, and when he made his debut with Benetton the following weekend at Italy, he was also able to significantly outpace his new teammate who was the three time World Champion Nelson Piquet. Schumacher nearly came close to securing his first F1 Podium in his fourth race at the Spanish Grand Prix.
After outpacing Nelson Piquet significantly throughout 1991, Piquet was dropped by the Benetton Management for the British driver Martin Brundle. With a very competitive driver line-up, Benetton had been considered potential championship contenders who could challenge McLaren and Williams for the 1992 title. The team however saw an early setback when it was confirmed that the team would use the 1991 chassis, the Benetton B191 for the first three races before the B192 would be released for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Schumacher continued with Benetton for 1992, in a year dominated by the Williams-Renault and their semi-automatic gearboxes and active suspension, but even so, he performed well, getting on the podium three times that year and winning the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. He finished third in the championship, with 53 points.
The Williams tandem Damon Hill and Alain Prost dominated the 1993 season. Benetton introduced their own active suspension and traction control early in the season, last of the teams to do at the top. Schumacher won one race, the Portuguese Grand Prix where he beat Prost. He had nine podium finishes, but retired in seven of the other 16 races. He finished the season in fourth, with 52 points.