Michael Schumacher should be stripped of his 1994 Formula 1 title, according to legendary motorsport journalist Roger Benoit.
The German won seven world titles over the course of an extraordinary career, triumphing with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, before winning five consecutive titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004.
But Benoit believes Damon Hill should have been awarded the 1994 title after Schumacher controversially edged him into the championship by one point at the final race of the season in Adelaide.
“I know he has become world champion seven times,” Benoit, a close friend of Schumacher, told the Swiss newspaper Look last week.
‘But he should really be stripped of the 1994 title because he only won it through his clash with Damon Hill.’
Michael Schumacher (middle) won the first of his seven world titles in 1994
The German headed Damon Hill (right) to the championship by one point
Schumacher and Hill controversially collided at the final race of the season in Adelaide
Formula 1 journalist Roger Benoit believes Hill should get the title
Schumacher and Hill were separated by a point when the title was on the line, with the Williams driver arriving in Australia after four wins in five races, effectively erasing the 27-point lead the German had held at the halfway mark. phase of the season.
Three of those victories came as Schumacher failed to score a point, with the German disqualified in Belgium and forced to miss the GPs of Italy and Portugal due to a suspension he received at Silverstone in July.
More controversy arose in Australia, when Schumacher made a rare mistake and hit the wall at turn five on lap 35, while leading the race by a second over Hill.
The error allowed the latter to close the gap, who looked to dive a few yards further along the inside of the East Terrace corner as his rival veered back onto the track.
However, Schumacher turned on his rival and sent his Benetton onto two wheels, off the road and out of the race.
As the German waited anxiously trackside to see if his rival would return to the circuit, Hill returned to the pits with his suspension severely damaged by the impact and was eventually forced to retire.
Schumacher secured his first title by the narrowest of margins and steadfastly refused any claims of wrongdoing.
It remains unclear whether the German suffered damage when he hit the wall just before colliding with Hill.
Footage clearly shows the Benetton driver struggling with his steering wheel to keep his car in a straight line after returning to the track.
Schumacher lost control at turn five and hit the wall, before appearing to cause terminal damage to his right rear wheel as he rejoined the track
Hill tried to pass on the outside, but his route was blocked by Schumacher
Schumacher was out of the race after the collision, while Hill returned to the pits, but was subsequently forced to retire
Schumacher waited trackside to see if Hill would appear again. When he wasn’t doing that, he was celebrating with a fist pump salute to the fans on the occasion of his first world championship
Regardless of whether he suffered any damage to his right rear wheel in contact with the wall, Schumacher’s mistake had made him a sitting duck for Hill.
The German can clearly be seen looking in his mirrors as he sees the Williams approaching from behind.
Hill’s car survived the initial collision with Schumacher, before the suspension was damaged by the Benetton’s right rear wheel.
Officially, the collision was treated as a racing incident, with the stewards taking no action to investigate the crash.
Williams retained the Constructors’ Championship, while Schumacher won his second consecutive title a year later before Hill claimed his first championship in 1996.
Benoit’s suggestion that Schumacher should be stripped of the 1994 title comes as Felipe Massa’s legal team hopes to overturn the outcome of the 2008 championship.
The former Ferrari driver lost the title to Lewis Hamilton by just one point on the final lap of the final race of the season in the Brazilian GP at Interlagos.
In one of the most exciting finishes in Formula 1 history, Massa won the race, but Hamilton took his first world title after overtaking Timo Glock at the penultimate corner of the final lap to finish fifth.
Massa’s hopes had suffered a huge blow in Singapore a month earlier when he finished 13th as Hamilton claimed third place on the podium.
Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. then claimed that his team instructed him to deliberately crash his Renault into the wall in an attempt to help teammate Fernando Alonso’s own championship ambitions.
The safety car was deployed after the crash, allowing Alonso, who had just pitted, to take the lead and win the race, while Massa dropped from first to 13th.
Felipe Massa has taken legal action to overturn the result of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship
The Brazilian lost the title by one point to Lewis Hamilton (right) during the last race of the season
Massa has launched his legal challenge after former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone claimed he was aware of Singapore’s ‘Crashgate conspiracy’
In April, former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone indicated he was aware of the ‘Crashgate conspiracy’ in 2008, when there would have been time to overturn the final result.
A month later, Massa initiated legal action in an attempt to have the title retroactively awarded in his favor.
According to the independentthe Brazilian’s lawyers sent an eight-page letter to Formula 1 in August, requesting a response within fourteen days.
However, after Formula 1 and the FIA indicated that two weeks was not enough time, Massa’s legal team set a new deadline ending at 4pm BST last Friday.