Ecclestone Suggests That

Vettel Supremacy Hurt F1

Sebastian Vettel may have produced the most dominant season of his career in winning his fourth straight Formula One world championship, but Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone believes it may have dented interest in the sport.

Vettel wrapped up the 2013 title with three races to spare. And

Ecclestone said that from then on "it was a non-championship. It lost TV interest, it lost a lot."

In a bid to end Vettel's domination Ecclestone proposed a radical plan last month to award double points for the final race of the season from 2014.

"If the last three races were double points the teams would say, 'Let's see about this,'" he said. "If [Ferrari driver Fernando] Alonso wins two out of the three, then even if Sebastian is second, the championship is still going to run until the end."

The decision was made in early December after a vote by the Strategy Group, a body comprising Formula One Management, six leading teams and F1's governing body the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) with each having equal weight.