Verstappen alleges Benetton 'cheating'

Former F1 racer Jos Verstappen has alleged that the Benetton team he drove for back in 1994 ran a car outside the regulations for team-mate Michael Schumacher.

The Dutchman made his F1 debut that year alongside the German, competing in the opening two races of the season as a replacement for the injured JJ Lehto before then returning in place of the Finn for a further eight events later in the year.

While he scored ten points to finish tenth in the championship standings, Verstappen saw team-mate Schumacher win eight times to secure the title; despite missing two races after picking up a ban for ignoring a black flag in the British Grand Prix and being excluded from both the British and Belgian races.

Throughout the course of the campaign, allegations of cheating were seen throughout the field as rival teams accused each other of using illegal systems and Verstappen has now said that he believes Schumacher's car was running with driver aids to assist the German.

"I know what happened when we were together at Benetton," he told Nusport "People think I'm looking for excuses, but I know that his car was different from mine.

"I always thought it was impossible. I braked at the limit and took the corners as hard as possible, so how could Schumacher do it? There was something wrong. There were electronic driver aids. It was never mentioned, but I'm convinced about it and, when I later asked Flavio Briatore, he replied 'Let's not talk about it'. So I know enough now.

"Like everyone else, Michael is also dependent on his car. For most people he was a god, but he is no superman - in a go-kart he never beat me."