Lewis Hamilton, Britain’s seven-time Formula One champion, was knighted for services to motorsport on Wednesday, only days after missing out on a record-breaking eighth title in the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton has 103 race wins and is tied for seventh place in the drivers’ standings with Germany’s Michael Schumacher.
Prince Charles made the 36-year-old Briton, the sport’s only Black driver, a Knight Bachelor in a ceremony at Windsor Castle outside of London.
After Australian Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, and Jackie Stewart, Hamilton is the fourth Formula One driver to obtain the honorary title of “Sir” in Britain, and the only one to do so while still racing.
Former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, former Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 meters track gold medalist Mo Farah, twice Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray, and former England cricket captain Alastair Cook are among the athletes who have been knighted while still active.
Hamilton has been a strong supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, and this year he wore a rainbow-coloured Progress Pride helmet to the last three races in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi to show his solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
