The debate about who is the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time is often between Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, who share the record for most world championship titles with seven each.
Hamilton has the advantage of still being an active driver however, meaning that he could surpass Schumacher if he wins another championship before he calls time on his illustrious career.
It is thought by many fans that Hamilton should already have an eighth championship, having missed out on the title to Max Verstappen in 2022 in highly controversial circumstances.
Former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has now boldly suggested that the Brit should have one less title rather than one more, putting his total down to six and placing him behind Schumacher in the record books.
READ: Red Bull source claims makes Ferrari claim ahead of 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
At the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, the year in which Hamilton won his first championship, Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed to cause a safety car, as this would benefit his teammate Fernando Alonso’s title hopes.
Hamilton went on to win the championship by a single point but Ecclestone claims this should not have been the case, as Piquet’s intentional crash should have caused the Singapore Grand Prix results to be voided.
“We had enough information at the time to investigate the matter,” he admitted.
“According to the statutes, we should have cancelled 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. 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.
READ: Lewis Hamilton ‘wants reassurances’ from Mercedes as he delays new contract
“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.”
Hamilton is reportedly set to sign a new contract with Mercedes in the near future, giving him a few more seasons to surpass Schumacher’s records.
Recent rumours have however suggested that the Brit will wait to see how competitive his team are this season, before deciding whether to put pen to paper on a new deal with Mercedes.