King Lewis is going to become Sir Hamilton

For several years now, the F1 community has been wondering when Lewis Hamilton would receive this distinction.

It took waiting to beat (or equal) all of Michael Schumacher’s records for it to be done! By the early days of the New Year 2021, the Briton will be made a Knight of the British Empire: one of the highest honors across the Channel.

This decoration is more than deserved given the track record of the English Champion: Seven World Championship titles, 95 victories, 98 pole positions… Hamilton racks up record after record and has reigned unchallenged in Formula 1 since 2014, except for the 2016 title won by his greatest rival, Nico Rosberg.

Brabham, Moss, Stewart… and soon Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is the 4th driver to receive this distinction after the three-time World Champions Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart, in 1978 and 2001 respectively, and the uncrowned champion Stirling Moss in the year 2000.

In the world of F1, two other people have also received this distinction: the founder of the eponymous team, Frank Williams in 1999, and the legendary technical director of this team, Patrick Head, in 2015.

Hamilton is, however, the only driver to be knighted while still active. The last time an athlete was honored while still active was in 2017 with tennis player Andy Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion.

The new F1 boss, Stefano Domenicali, wanted to be the first to officially congratulate the Briton.

« Lewis is a true giant of our sport, and his influence is immense both in and out of the car », said the Italian. « Each of us in F1 congratulates him on this well-deserved recognition of his accomplishments, and we look forward to seeing him shine even more in 2021. »

At 35 years old, Lewis Hamilton will finally receive the highest recognition, as he reaches the peak of his F1 career and has been seen this year more than ever involved in all battles, particularly against inequalities and the fight for climate.