According to Bernie Ecclestone, Lewis Hamilton should only have six Championship wins.
Ecclestone believes Michael Schumacher’s seven Championship victories should remain the record, revealing he believes Lewis Hamilton should not have received the 2008 title.
Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to being caught up in controversy by fans and the media over the years. Many believe he should not have his current seven Championships – but eight following the dramatic 2021 season.
However, F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes the Brit should have only six Championship victories under his belt. He believes that Felipe Massa should have won the title in 2008, after being denied the win by one point in the controversial season in 2008. Therefore, Michael Schumacher would hold the record for most World Championship wins.
In 2008, Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed during the Singapore GP, helping his Renault teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. The revelation that the crash was not accidental, however, did not come to light until 2009. Ecclestone believed the results of that race should have been wiped. If they were, in fact, nullified at the time of the crash, Massa would have become the Championship winner instead of Lewis Hamilton.
Massa As Champion?
“We had enough information at the time to investigate the matter,” Ecclestone admits.
“According to the statutes, we should 5have canceled the race in Singapore under these conditions.
“That means it would never have happened for the world championship standings. And Felipe Massa would have become world champion and not Lewis Hamilton.
“I still feel sorry for Massa today,” Ecclestone continued. “He won the final at his home race in Sao Paulo and did everything right. He was cheated of the title he deserved while Hamilton had all the luck in the world and won his first championship.
“Today I would have done things differently. That’s why, to me, Michael Schumacher is still the sole record world champion, even if the statistics say otherwise.”
Bernie Ecclestone Speaking to f1-insider.com
Ecclestone Kept Quiet
Bernie Ecclestone says he knew about the deliberate crash long before the outbreak of the ‘crashgate’ scandal – and so did ex-FIA President Max Mosley:
“We decided not to do anything… we wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal.
“That’s why I used the tongue of an angel to persuade my former driver Nelson Piquet to keep quiet for the time being.
“Back then, there was a rule that a world championship classification was untouchable after the FIA awards ceremony at the end of the year,” Ecclestone said.
“So Hamilton was presented with the cup and everything was fine.”
Ex F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone speaking with F1 Insider