Ecclestone defends 'boring' F1

Instead, Ecclestone believes that people are intrigued to see if the great German will fall or triumph. His views echo those of F1 team boss Eddie Jordan, who last week said that Ferrari and Schumacher should not be criticized for dominating the opening two races of the season because they are setting a benchmark for everyone else to match.

Schumacher, 35, has won the first two races of the season in Australia and Malaysia, prompting a wave of negative comments about a predictable season ending in Schumacher lifting his fifth title in succession.

"It will not be boring. Every sport needs superstars because they polarise," Ecclestone told German magazine Wirtschafts-Woche. "Some people want them to fall from their pedestal and taste defeat. But others want them to keep on winning and become an even bigger star."

Ecclestone even compared Schumacher to boxing icon Muhammad Ali. "Ali was a superstar who you either loved or could not stand. Why did millions of people stay up in the middle of the night in front of their television screens? They wanted to see whether he could produce another moment of greatness or because they thought he may lose."

As the F1 circus heads to Bahrain this weekend, Schumacher leads team-mate Rubens Barrichello by seven points but the reigning champ told Munich's TX daily paper that he doesn't mind accusations that his domination is ruining the unpredictability of the sport, just as long as he keeps winning.

When asked if he was willing to hit the brakes, Schumacher replied: "No way. In fact, I'm going to have to push harder because the others are getting closer all the time. Stop thinking that the championship is all but wrapped up. When the others start lapping me, it wil be time to quit."