page_title: Thierry Boutsen
section_title: Benetton
hierarchical_section_title: Thierry Boutsen / Career / Formula One / Benetton
caption_attribution_description: Thierry Boutsen driving for Benetton Formula at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix.
context_page_description: Thierry Marc Boutsen is a Belgian former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One. He competed in 164 World Championship Grands Prix, winning three races, achieving 15 podiums and scoring 132 career points. His best finish in the World Drivers' Championship was fourth in 1988 whilst driving for Benetton. He also twice finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race.
context_section_description: Boutsen got his big chance when he switched to the works Ford F1 team, Benetton, for the 1987 season as teammate to Teo Fabi. While the package wasn't a race winner it did allow him to run regularly in the top 6. He scored points in six races, his best being awarded 3rd place in Adelaide after the disqualification of Ayrton Senna's Lotus and moved to 8th overall. At the Australian Grand Prix, Boutsen was furious with Fabi when the Italian refused to let his teammate lap him for a number of laps. When Boutsen confronted Fabi about this after the race, a frustrated Fabi (who had been unable to find an F1 drive for 1988), told the Belgian to "come back and see me when you have a pole position". Fabi scored no wins in his F1 career but did have 3 poles to his name while at that stage Boutsen could only boast his 2nd place at Imola in 1985.
  1988 saw Boutsen with a new teammate, the fast, chain-smoking Italian Alessandro Nannini. When Cosworth stopped development of their turbocharged V6 engine, Benetton were forced to switch to normally aspirated Ford DFR V8 engines in anticipation of the banning of turbos in 1989. Boutsen's consistency, mechanical sympathy and speed in the Rory Byrne designed Benetton B188 saw him score points in 10 of the 16 races, including five 3rd-place finishes (all behind the all-conquering McLaren-Honda's), and place 4th overall as the best non-turbo driver in the field.
caption: Boutsen driving for Benetton at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix.
exif: {}