Lewis Hamilton has received his knighthood on Wednesday after being denied a record-breaking eighth Formula 1 world title. A controversial decision from race director, Michael Masi, saw Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claim the victory on the final lap of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 36-year-old Hamilton attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle where he was dubbed a knight by the Prince of Wales and was honoured for his services to motorsports.
🏎️ Arise Sir @LewisHamilton!
The seven-time @F1 World Champion received his Knighthood from The Prince of Wales at today’s Investiture ceremony held at Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/I3xicKLLYp
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) December 15, 2021
Hamilton, who joins Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham as the fourth F1 racer to be knighted, was recognised in the New Year Honours list following a stellar year in which he levelled Michael Schumacher’s all-time victory tally by winning a seventh world title.
Meanwhile on Sunday, the Mercedes driver was cruising to victory to secure the 2021 championship with a 11 second advantage over Verstappen, but a crash forced a safety car out onto the track.
Michael Masi controversially allowed cars to pass the safety car to line up Hamilton and Verstappen for the final lap. Hamilton was unable to pit for fresh tyres but the Red Bull team brought Verstappen in for a fresh set to see him claim the victory.
The Mercedes team was furious following Masi’s decision, believing that he contravened the F1 rules as outlined by the FIA, and lodged protests in a bid to overturn the result. Even though the protests were rejected, Mercedes are now considering a further appeal.
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Picture: Twitter / The Royal Family
