Benetton faced the 1996 season as world champion, but had lost Michael Schumacher, who moved to Ferrari. The two new drivers of the Briatore team were Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger. The car, the B196, was a development of the 1995 world champion single-seater and the engine was a further improved version of the Renault V10. The results were certainly not as good as in previous years and Benetton finished third in the constructors' championship, behind Williams and Ferrari. Alesì was fourth in the championship, Berger sixth, both without ever having won a Grand Prix.