The Mercedes driver enters the 2023 season, aged 38, hoping to improve upon the joint-record of seven titles that he shares with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Michael Schumacher.

His first title, as a McLaren driver i✨n 2008, has now been ref☂erenced by Ecclestone who insists Hamilton should still be a six-time champion.

Hamilton won the 2008 title after the ‘crashgate’ scandal - where Nelson Piquet Jr crashed on purpose to help Renault teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Felipe Massa, Hamilton’s titl𒀰e rivജal, was unable to score enough points as a result of the crash.

Ex-F1 supremo Ecclestone, 9🌌2, has now told : "Max Mosley [then FIA president] and I was informed during the 2008 season about what had happened in the race in Singapore. Piquet Jr. ཧhad told his father Nelson that he had been asked by the team to deliberately drive into the wall at one point in order to trigger a safety car period and thus help his team-mate Alonso.

"Piquet Jr was afraid for his contract extension, so he was under a lot of pressur♛e and agreed.

“We decided not to do anything for the time being. 💮We wanted to protect the sport and protect it from a huge scandal. 

“That's why I persuaded my former pilot Nelson Piquet toജ keep calm for the time being.

"At that time there was the rule that a World Championship classification after the FIA award ceremony at the end of the year is untouchable. So Hamilton was presented with the championship trophy and everything was fiܫne."

‘Crashgate’ was only proven a year after the incident itself🏅.

But Ecclestone admits: "We had enough information in time to investigate the matter. According𒐪 to the statutes, however, we would probably have had to cancel the race in Singapore under these conditions. That is, for the championship standings, it would never have happened. 

“Then Felipe Massa would have beco✨me world champion andꦬ not Lewis Hamilton.

"I still feel sorry for Ma🐭ssa today. He won the final at his home race in Sao Paulo and did everything right. He was cheated out of the deserved title, while Hamilton had all the luck in the world and won his first championship. 

“Today I would have arranged it differently. That's why Michael Schumacher is still the sole r♛ecord world champion for me. Even if the statistics say otherwise."