Benetton boss David Richards said that it could take up to four years for the Benetton team to be competitive again. The problem is not the car but the engine he told 'The Daily Telegraph'.

He said: "The key issue for us is to form an alliance with one of the major car manufacturers to supply us with a competitive engine. Once that's in place, I would say we have two years before we can expect to be in a strong position. You've only got to look how long it took McLaren to forge its link with Mercedes to understand that these things take time."

The team is not happy with the progress the Mecachrome engines are making but they have a contract until 2000. It has also been speculated that Ford could come into play.