Schumacher's exit was a good thing for Mercedes: Bernie Ecclestone

Michael Schumacher

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said that replacing Michael Schumacher with Lewis Hamilton was the best thing for Mercedes.

“It was the right decision to sign Lewis. He woke the team up. And he can push the other driver in a way Michael couldn’t anymore,” Ecclestone told Germany’s Auto Bild.

Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda also supported Ecclestone’s opinion and said that the decision was one of the turning points for the team.

“Hamilton with Rosberg was the most important part of turning Mercedes around. Lewis is such a natural talent and he complements Nico so well with his (Rosberg’s) attention to every technical detail. It is the best driver lineup there is — not even Alonso and Raikkonen will be as good,” Lauda said.

“After a certain time you need a whole new motivation for a team, and a new top driver can do that,” he added.