Michael Schumacher ‘should be STRIPPED of his 1994 title’, says F1 legend’s close friend – as he claims Damon Hill should have been awarded the championship after controversial collision in final race

• Michael Schumacher controversially beat Damon Hill to the 1994 title 
• The German won his first world championship by a point in Australia
• Felipe Massa wants the 2008 title to be retrospectively awarded to him 

Michael Schumacher should be stripped be of his 1994 Formula One 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 pipped him to the championship by a point on the final race of the season in Adelaide. 

‘I know that he was world champion seven times,’ Benoit, a close friend of Schumacher, told Swiss newspaper Blick last week.

‘But the 1994 title should actually be taken away from him because he only won it because of his collision with Damon Hill.’ 

Michael Schumacher (middle) won the first of his seven world titles in 1994

The German pipped Damon Hill (right) to the championship by a single point

Schumacher and Hill controversially collided on the final race of the season in Adelaide

Formula One journalist Roger Benoit believes Hill should be awarded the title

Schumacher and Hill were separated by a point as the title went down to the wire, with the Williams driver arriving in Australia on the back of four wins in five races, which had effectively erased the 27-point gap the German had held at the halfway stage of the season.

Three of those wins came as Schumacher failed to score a point, with the German disqualified in Belgium and forced to miss the Italian and Portuguese GP for a ban he received at Silverstone in July.

More controversy unfolded in Australia, as Schumacher made a rare error and drove into the wall at turn five on Lap 35 while the leading the race by a second from Hill.

The mistake allowed the latter to close the gap, who looked to dive down the inside of East Terrace corner a few yards ahead as his rival swerved back onto the track.

Schumacher though turned in on his rival, sending 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 come back around the circuit, Hill made his way back to the pits with his suspension severely damaged by the impact and was eventually forced to retire.

Schumacher secured his first title by the barest of margin, steadfastly refusing any claims of wrongdoing.

It remains unclear whether the German had picked up damage while brushing the wall just moments before colliding with Hill. 

Footage clearly shows the Benetton driver wrestling with his steering wheel to keep his car in a straight line after coming back onto the track.

Schumacher lost control at turn five and brushed the wall, before appearing to cause terminal damage to his right rear wheel as he rejoined the track

Hill attempted to pass around the outside but had his route 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 reappear. When he didn’t, he celebrates with a saluting fist pump to fans to mark his maiden world championship

Regardless of whether he’d suffered any damage to his rear right wheel in the contact with the wall, Schumacher’s mistake had made him a sitting duck for Hill.

The German can clearly be seen glancing into his mirrors as he sees the Williams approaching from behind.

Hill’s car survived the initial impact with Schumacher, before its suspension was damaged by the Benetton’s rear right wheel. 

Officially the collision was seen 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 clinched his maiden championship in 1996.

Benoit’s suggestion Schumacher should be stripped of the 1994 title comes as Felipe Massa’s legal team are hoping to overturn the outcome of the 2008 championship.

The former Ferrari driver lost the title to Lewis Hamilton by just a single point on the last lap of the final race of the season in the Brazilian GP at Interlagos.

In one of the most exciting finishes in Formula One history, Massa won the race but Hamilton clinched his first world title after overtaking Timo Glock on the penultimate corner on the final lap to finish fifth.

Massa’s hopes had taken a massive hit in Singapore, a month earlier when he finished 13th as Hamilton claimed third place on the podium.

Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. subsequently claimed his team had instructed him to deliberately crash his Renault into the wall in a bid 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 launched legal actions to get the outcome of the 2008 Formula One world championship overturned 

The Brazilian lost the title by a point to Lewis Hamilton (right) on the final race of the season

Massa has launched his legal challenge after former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone claimed he knew about the ‘Crashgate conspiracy’ in Singapore

In April, former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone indicated he knew about the ‘Crashgate conspiracy’ in 2008, when there would have been time to overturn the final result.

A month later, Massa launched legal action in a bid to have the title awarded in his favour retrospectively.

According to the Independent, the Brazilian’s lawyers sent an eight-page letter to Formula One in August, requesting a reply within 14 days.

However, after Formula One and the FIA indicated two weeks was not enough time, Massa’s legal team set a new deadline which expired at 4pm BST last Friday.

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