Hamilton knighted in Queen’s New Year Honours list
Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has received a knighthood in the United Kingdom Queen’s 2021 New Year Honours list, which was officially announced on Wednesday evening.
The knighthood – which means he will be known formally as Sir Lewis Hamilton – has been awarded at the end of a year that saw him match Michael Schumacher’s record of seven F1 World Championship titles and surpass the German's race wins tally.
He has also pursued a campaign to increase diversity in the sport and frequently spoken out against racism in society, although the honour is for his services to motorsports. It comes exactly 12 years after Hamilton, following his first World Championship title, became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to motor racing.
Hamilton is the third F1 World Champion to receive a knighthood, following Jack Brabham (in 1978) and Jackie Stewart (2001), while the honour also went to Stirling Moss (2000). However, Hamilton is the first to gain this status while still an active driver.
In addition, racers and land speed record breakers Henry Segrave (1929) and Malcolm Campbell (1931) were both knighted before World War II.
Aside from drivers, Williams F1 team founders Frank Williams and Patrick Head have also received knighthoods, in 1999 and 2015 respectively.
Hamilton has been awarded a knighthood at the age of just 35, although he is not the youngest sportsman to be recognised in the modern era. Tennis star Andy Murray was 29 when he was named in the 2017 New Year Honours list, following his second Wimbledon victory, while cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy were both 32. Sailor Ellen MacArthur was 28 when she was made a dame, the equivalent of a knighthood, in 2005.
New F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who officially starts work in January, has paid tribute to Hamilton.
“Lewis is a true giant of our sport and his influence is huge both in and out of a car,” said Domenicali. “What he has achieved is phenomenal with still more to come.
“All of us at F1 congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition of his achievements and look forward to seeing more of his brilliance in 2021.”
Mercedes-Benz AMG F1 team principal Toto Wolff commented: "Lewis is one of the very greatest racing drivers of all time and the most successful British sportsperson of his era. Around the world, he has long been recognised for his sporting achievement; this year, he combined his excellence on the track with a powerful voice to fight discrimination. In every sense, he led the way in 2020.
2008 FIA Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, and winning constructor Ferrari Team director Stefano Domenicali
Photo by: FIA
Earlier this month Hamilton received recognition from the British public when he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a second time, having previously won the prestigious award in 2014.
He also won the 2020 Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year prize, sharing it with footballer Lionel Messi.
Related video
Seidl: Outdated F1 infrastructure still a huge McLaren weakness
The hidden tech fight that will define F1 2021
2023 Ford GT Mk IV unleashed with bigger engine making 800+hp
Ford is introducing the most extreme version of the GT to date. There have been more than a few retro-flavored special editions of Blue Oval's supercar and the new Mk IV joins them.
New docuseries is publicity that IndyCar deserves and needs
That’s the verdict from two of IndyCar’s biggest stars, Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden, following the announcement of the “100 Days to Indy” series on the CW Network. David Malsher-Lopez reports.
Kevin Magnussen to partner father Jan in Daytona 24 Hours
Racing father and son Jan and Kevin Magnussen are to team up again in next month’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GTD class.
Trackside view: What the brave new world of LMDh really looks like
As the future of sportscar racing in Europe has witnessed a tantalizing drip-drip of Le Mans Hypercars from Toyota, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Ferrari and Vanwall, across the pond in America the LMDh era arrived with a big bang at Daytona last week as Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche all hit the track together for the first time.
Why Mercedes believes it can make the step F1 needs to fight Red Bull
The 2022 Formula 1 season was Mercedes' leanest for a decade, achieving just a solitary pole and grand prix win. Yet the team is confident it has got the tools it needs to cast that disappointment aside and return to the front of the field again next year.
How BRM's one-off F1 double defied its rollercoaster history
It’s 60 years since BRM achieved its goal and Graham Hill led the team to a world title double. But that was just part of the remarkable story of a unique team that at times overstretched its resources and had its fair share of disappointments.
The bold F1 DRS experiment that could end the debate forever
OPINION: The effectiveness of DRS in Formula 1 remains a topic of debate as the winter break gives a chance for reflection on the racing we saw in 2022. For all of its detractors, perhaps an experiment where DRS is cast aside and the impact this has on racing is in order to truly understand its merits in modern F1.
The sliding doors moment that saved Red Bull and Porsche
OPINION: Everything looked set for Red Bull and Porsche to join forces for the 2026 season, before the marriage between both parties was called off. While at the time it looked like a major coup for Formula 1 in gaining both VW Group powerhouses Audi and Porsche for 2026, Red Bull and Porsche have really been spared a potentially fractious relationship.
How Tyrrell’s post-Stewart era descended into a fight to survive
Glory days for Tyrrell became increasingly infrequent after Jackie Stewart’s retirement. But in the latest instalment of his history of the team for Autosport's sister title GP Racing, MAURICE HAMILTON recalls how Ken Tyrrell’s plucky and defiantly small team stayed bold enough to innovate – springing a surprise with F1’s first six-wheeled car
How departing F1 boss Brawn views F1’s new rules - and the future
Multiple-title-winning designer and team boss Ross Brawn is finally leaving Formula 1 after nearly 50 years in motorsport. But he still has plenty of insights on what’s working and what comes next, as he revealed to Motorsport.com in a far-reaching exclusive interview in Abu Dhabi.
The key F1 management call Ferrari must make to avoid more defeat
OPINION: Mattia Binotto’s departure from Ferrari will naturally bring a range of changes across the Formula 1 team. But how the changes shape up and the impact they could have is set to be dictated by a key direction Ferrari’s top dogs will need to pick
The difference between Mercedes’ stumble and the fall of F1 giants
OPINION: Mercedes endured its worst season of the hybrid Formula 1 era, but was mercifully spared its first winless campaign in over a decade late on. It has owned up to the mistakes it made which led to its troubled W13. And while its task to return to title-challenging contention is not small, its 2022 season seems more like a blip than the beginning of a downward spiral.