With seven F1 world titles to his name, Michael Schumacher is surely one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1. He has second highest wins in the sport and joint-highest F1 titles along with Lewis Hamilton. However, Schumacher’s compatriot Roger Benoit, as per Blick, would beg to differ as he believes the German won only six titles.
Schumacher and Benoit have been aides for a long time, even though they had fallouts in the past. They had several arguments, which led to the worsening of their relationship. Admittedly, Benoit was also critical of the seven-time world champion’s move to Mercedes in 2010.
It’s been 19 years since the legendary Michael @schumacher wrapped up the last of his SEVEN world titles 👑#F1 #OnThisDay @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/QgEHEusIwk
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 29, 2023
Furthermore, Benoit’s write-ups also caused Schumacher to be everything but happy. Nevertheless, they mended their relationship during the 2011 Japanese GP when the former Ferrari driver approached the Swiss journalist to make peace.
Benoit believes Schumacher is a six-time world champion
Talking about Schumacher’s titles, Benoit is of the opinion that the German should have one title less because of what he has done back in 1994. That will effectively bring the Ferrari legend down to six and, therefore will hold Lewis Hamilton as the greatest F1 driver ever.
Notably, the 1994 F1 season saw a title battle between Schumacher and Damon Hill throughout the season. However, it was the season finale at the Adelaide Street Circuit that grabbed all the attention. Coming into the last race of the season, Schumacher was leading the championship from Hill by one point.
A dramatic championship decider at the 1994 Adelaide Grand Prix on this day saw Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collide, handing the title to Schumacher and the race win to Williams’ Nigel Mansell. #F1 #Adelaide pic.twitter.com/Mv3J4kzIUN
— Adelaide Grand Prix (@Adelaide_GP) November 12, 2022
However, the German suffered significant damage after he hit the wall in Lap 36, therefore ending his race. Knowing that he would not be able to hold on to the race, he turned himself into the British driver as the latter was attempting to take the lead of the race. Even though Hill managed to continue, he eventually had to give up, citing the damage.
With both the drivers having retired in the last race, Michael Schumacher held on to his championship lead and was crowned the world champion in 1994. As the German picked up his first-ever title that year, Benoit believes it was illegitimate and Hill was cheated out of the title by his aide.
Benoit put Hamilton over Schumacher in the GOAT debate
Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are the only two drivers in the history of Formula 1 to have seven F1 titles each. Due to this, the duo sparked a never-ending debate about who is the ultimate GOAT of the sport.
Referring to this, Roger Benoit thinks it is Hamilton who should have the GOAT status. This is because the British driver not only has more wins and more pole positions but also has all the ‘legitimate’ world championships.
Therefore, the Swiss journalist holds the Mercedes star a level above that of Michael Schumacher. Most importantly, he also asked Schumacher to be stripped of his GOAT status because of what he had done to Damon Hill back in 1994.
