(London) A few days after missing an eighth Formula 1 title, Briton Lewis Hamilton was awarded the knight title by Prince Charles during a ceremony held at Windsor Castle (England) on Wednesday.
Hamilton, 36, was included in the New Year’s Honors List, a system for appointing new members to orders of chivalry, after a year in which he equaled the record for titles held by Michael Schumacher and broke the record for Grand Prix victories (103).
On Sunday, the seven-time world champion lost the championship in the last round of the final Grand Prix held in Abu Dhabi to the benefit of the Dutchman Max Verstappen, who won his first world title.
In the lead for most of the race, the Mercedes driver was overtaken by his young rival after the deployment of the safety car following a minor accident at the Canadian Nicholas Lafiti.
He is the fourth F1 driver to be knighted, following in the footsteps of Australian Jack Brabham and Britons Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart, but the first to receive the honor while still competing.