Sir Lewis Hamilton knighted at Windsor Castle after F1 title loss
The Brit fell just short of a record eighth Formula One title
Last updated 15th Dec 2021
Lewis Hamilton has been knighted by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle today (15 December) for his services to motorsports.
It was first announced that Hamilton would be given a knighthood in the New Years Honours list in 2020, but he officially received the award in person today.
The British F1 legend is widely recognised as one of the UK's most successful sportsmen, having matched Michael Schumacher's record seven F1 titles in 2020 and being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a second time.
The 36-year-old fell just short of a record eighth Formula One title after controversially losing out on the last race of the season to Max Verstappen on 12 December.
The 24-year-old Red Bull driver overtook Hamilton in the closing stages of the finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, having benefited from a late safety car that bunched up the pack.
Despite the controversy, Sir Lewis Hamilton embraced his rival Verstappen after the race, with the duo closely battling each other for the championship over 22 races this season.
"Congratulations to Max and his team. I think we did an amazing job this year," Lewis told Sky Sports.
"Everyone back at the factory and here worked so hard in this most difficult of seasons.
"I'm so proud of them and so grateful to be part of the journey with them.
"We gave it everything this last part of the season, we never gave up."