Lewis Hamilton ‘surprised’ F1 supremo Ecclestone by racing this season and trying to overtake Schumacher’s title record

BERNIE ECCLESTONE is surprised Lewis Hamilton continued racing in a bid to break Michael Schumacher’s record.

Hamilton, 36, tied level with the German last year winning his seventh world championship title.

SplashBernie Ecclestone is surprised Lewis Hamilton did not retire at the end of last year[/caption]

AP:Associated PressEcclestone does not believe Hamilton’s success has detracted from Schumacher’s greatness[/caption]

The Brit broke Schumacher’s Grand Prix record at the Portugal Grand Prix in September 2020 and has now won 102 Formula One races.

But Ecclestone does not believe Hamilton’s success lessens the legacy of Schumacher.

Ecclestone told RFL: “I’m surprised Lewis didn’t say at the beginning of the year ‘I’m stepping down, I don’t want to win more races or World Championships than Michael’.”

But the former F1 chief is pleased Hamilton’s involvement has led to a competitive battle for the world title.

He added: “It’s a fight we’ve been waiting for seven or eight years, finally a competition again.

“This is what people want when they watch Formula 1, or any sport for that matter. They want competition.”

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Hamilton was dominant as he claimed his record-equalling seventh F1 title in 2020 with Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas his closest rival.

But with just two races to go Red Bull’s Max Verstappen currently leads the standings.

Hamilton has fought his way back by winning in Brazil and Qatar, with the gap at the top down to just eight points, which means there could be a nail-biting finish in Abu Dhabi.