Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has become the fourth F1 driver to receive a Knighthood as he is named in the Queen's New Year's Honours list.

The Briton follows in the steps of three-time world champions Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart and four-time runner-up, Stirling Moss.

However, while Brabham (1978), Stewart (2001) and Moss (2000), were all honoured after retiring from the sport, Hamilton is the first to be honoured whilst still racing.

Despite a heavily revised schedule this year, Hamilton has secured his seventh title, thereby equalling Michael Schumacher.

However, the Briton has set a number of new records in the process, not least in becoming the sport's winningest driver with 95 wins to his credit.

Yet Hamilton is widely known outside the paddock, and is genuinely one of the world's sporting superstars, with interests well away from the race track including music, movies and fashion.

This year the Briton has put F1 on the front pages of the world's media courtesy of his activism, most notably for Black Lives Matter. Indeed, having caused Chase Carey's wife to delete her Twitter account, Hamilton was a prime factor in the sport creating its diversity and equality initiative, We Race As One.

"Lewis is a true giant of our sport and his influence is huge both in and out of a car," said Stefano Domenicali who takes over as CEO of F1 on 1st January. "What he has achieved is phenomenal with still more to come.

"All of us at F1 congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition of his achievements and look forward to seeing more of his brilliance in 2021."

"Lewis is one of the very greatest racing drivers of all time and the most successful British sportsperson of his era," added Toto Wolff. "Around the world, he has long been recognised for his sporting achievement, this year, he combined his excellence on the track with a powerful voice to fight discrimination. In every sense, he led the way in 2020.

"The news that he is to receive a knighthood shows that he is now receiving the recognition he has earned during a career of unparalleled success in motorsport. The UK can be very proud to have a champion and ambassador of the calibre of Sir Lewis Hamilton."

Meanwhile, the legendary Jimmy Greaves, who remains the fourth most prolific goal scorer for England, and is now wheelchair bound after suffering a severe stroke in 2015, having played his last competitive football match in 1971, is awarded an MBE.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by CrazyF1People, 24/01/2021 4:27

"Well done Sir Lewis Hamilton!
Very well deserved and long long overdue!

And I really take great pleasure knowing very well that every single time that something good or great happens to you, all your haters are choking on their tears out there! Hahaha "

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2. Posted by #KLMN#, 03/01/2021 10:58

"@FormulaRace yes 100% true . Many can not accept Lewis is the F1 Mesias."

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3. Posted by FormulaRace, 02/01/2021 23:22

"Long overdue and well deserved. And it gets bigot boomers' teeth gnashing - bonus!"

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4. Posted by kenji, 02/01/2021 11:31

"@ Editor....here here. Well said. John Surtees was a thoroughly deserving driver. Re Ron Dennis..he deserves many fullsome accolades for his dedicated contributions to F1, supercar motoring and the high tech applications he founded via the advanced technologies under his guidance.

Ron Dennis funded Hamilton from the very beginning, including paying for a educational tutor, and all the myths surrounding the 'Stevenage' period are mere flim flam in the totality of it all.Hamilton enjoyed the privilege of his patron."

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5. Posted by Editor, 01/01/2021 23:02

"@ flyinglap

Couldn't agree more... and let's not forget that John never lived outside the UK.

Also, let's not forget the man who kickstarted Lewis' career... Ron Dennis. He made McLaren a powerhouse and the benchmark for the likes of Mercedes."

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6. Posted by flyinglap, 01/01/2021 19:11

"Apparently, Hamilton had been practicing 'taking the knee' all year long in view of this (pre-planned) knighthood. Jokes aside I cannot help but think of John Surtees, a true gentleman and an eminently deserving multiple world champion on both two and four wheels (the only one ever), as well as a constructor in his own right in Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 5000, with a lifetime of service to the sport and to society, who nevertheless was only awarded a CBE at 82 years of age, just one year before he died. Happy New Year to all!"

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7. Posted by Simon in Adelaide, 01/01/2021 4:16

"I have been thinking of something deserving to say, but I have given up."

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8. Posted by Superbird70, 31/12/2020 18:43

"Valteri can't drive a Mercedes."

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9. Posted by Kallie61 , 31/12/2020 16:59

"Don't think he deserves a knighthood, after all he doesn't even live in the U.K. Nor does he pay his taxes here.
Also as Russell demonstrated, given the best car on the grid anyone can drive a Mercedes especially as Russell had virtually no practice and an ill fitting seat, and still would have won had the team not messed his pit stops up."

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10. Posted by Kallie61 , 31/12/2020 16:55

"Don't think he deserves a knighthood, after all he doesn't even live in the U.K. Nor does he pay he axes here.
Also as Russell demonstrated, given the best car on the grid anyone can drive a Mercedes especially as Russell had virtually no practice and an ill fitting seat, and still would have won had the team not messed his pit stops up."

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11. Posted by Lakota, 31/12/2020 13:51

"Is George Russel getting one ??"

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12. Posted by markscottuk, 31/12/2020 13:02

"Winningest? "

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13. Posted by kenji, 31/12/2020 11:16

"Not only being given the fastest car ever in F1 to drive but to also find a suitable 'cause celebre' to hitch your chariot to and ....whoooshka, there you go, a knighthood! Now fancy that, I mean, what a surprise."

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A Knighthood for Hamilton

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