Lewis Hamilton first called for Michael Schumacher to lose his first Formula One championship.

A respected F1 reporter has demanded that Michael Schumacher’s first of seven World Championships be taken away, following Felipe Massa’s legal challenge of Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title victory.

Former Ferrari driver Massa filed a lawsuit this year to challenge the outcome of the 2008 World Championship as a result of comments made by former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone earlier in the year.
The Brazilian was upset about that year’s highly contentious Singapore Grand Prix.

After Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. intentionally crashed, causing a Safety Car period that allowed teammate Fernando Alonso to win, Massa, who started the race from pole position, finished a dismal 13th at the Marina Bay street circuit.

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher both achieved first-time F1 championship victories under dramatic conditions.

With his no score in Singapore proving crucial to the outcome, Massa was ultimately edged out for the championship by one point at the dramatic title decider in Brazil five weeks later.

In similarly dramatic circumstances, Schumacher won his first championship at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, where the German driver collided with Damon Hill, a Williams competitor, forcing both drivers to retire.

Schumacher won the championship by one point over Hill because both drivers were unable to increase their point totals in Adelaide.

The following year, Schumacher won his second championship with the Benetton team.
From 2000 to 2004, he won five straight championships with Ferrari, solidifying his position as one of the sport’s greatest drivers.

Despite the magnitude of his success, which will only be surpassed by Hamilton in 2020, Schumacher’s career was marred by controversy.
These incidents included his intentional collision with another Williams driver, Jacques Villeneuve, at the 1997 title race and the infamous Rascasse-gate incident in 2006, in which he parked his car on the track at the end of qualifying to prevent rivals from challenging for pole position.

Legendary journalist Roger Benoit revealed in a recent interview about his extensive career covering Formula 1 for Swiss-German publication Blick that he only considers Schumacher to be a six-time World Champion and disputes credit for the 1994 title.

When asked if he thought Schumacher was the greatest racing driver of all time, Benoit responded, “As a six-time World Champion, he certainly belongs in the top five.
“.

When questioned about the reasoning behind his claim that Schumacher had only won six championships, he responded, “Of course, I know that he was World Champion seven times.

But the 1994 championship should really have been stripped from him because he only won it because of his foul on Damon Hill.
“.

After initially leaving Formula One at the end of 2006, Schumacher attempted a comeback with Mercedes between 2010 and 2012 before being replaced by Hamilton by the Brackley-based team.

Following a skiing accident that left him with a brain injury in December 2013, Schumacher has not been spotted in public.