 Complete the following phrase:  Many thought, Benetton and Alesi included, that this could well be the Frenchmans year to seriously challenge for the title - something many had been predicting he would do since he signed for Ferrari in . However, after achieving the double of Drivers and Constructors Championships in , the 1996 season saw the team slip slightly from its position of eminence. A direct development of the B195, the new drivers found the B196 difficult to drive, as it had been designed with Schumachers driving style in mind, but managed to score a series of points and podium finishes. The biggest disappointment was not winning a race for the first time since , although Alesi led in 