Racing driver Lewis Hamilton today received his knighthood - just days after his F1 championship heartbreak. His mother Carmen Larbalestier is pictured here to the right

Racing driver Lewis Hamilton today received his knighthood - just days after his F1 championship heartbreak in Abu Dhabi. The Formula One ace, 36, was awarded the honour by Prince Charles at an Investiture at Windsor Castle this morning. He was accompanied at the ceremony by his mother Carmen Larbalestier, who along with his father, Anthony, has been an enthusiastic supporter of his racing career.

Hamilton, a seven time F1 world champion, received the knighthood for services to motorsport. He joins Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham as the fourth F1 racer to be knighted. It comes just days after Hamilton lost out on his record-breaking eighth F1 world championship title - being pipped by Dutch driver Max Verstappen in controversial style in Abu Dhabi.

The Mercedes driver was cruising to victory in Sunday's race at Yas Marina - a win that would have secured him the 2021 championship - when a crash forced a safety car out onto the track. Hamilton had held an 11 second advantage over his title rival Verstappen when the safety car was deployed to help remove Williams driver Nicolas Latifi's smashed-up car. Hamilton was unable to pit for fresh tyres because his Mercedes team believed the race would end under a safety car and he would have conceded his first place to Verstappen. Red Bull were able to gamble and brought Verstappen in for a fresh set of fast soft tyres.

Hamilton had lapped several cars which sat between him and Verstappen under the safety car. But then race director Michael Masi controversially allowed those cars to pass the safety car to line up Hamilton and Verstappen for a final lap showdown. Verstappen, on new tyres, easily breezed past Hamilton in the final lap to clinch the race win and the championship. While Hamilton appeared gracious in defeat, his Mercedes team were furious at Masi's decision, and lodged protests in a bid to overturn the result. The protests were rejected and Mercedes are now considering a further appeal, believing that Masi's decision contravened F1 rules set out by the FIA. The win would have made Hamilton F1's most decorated driver. He is currently level with fellow F1 legend Michael Michael Schumacher on seven world championships.


While Hamilton appeared gracious in defeat, his Mercedes team were furious at Masi's decision, and lodged protests in a bid to overturn the result

Hamilton is already arguably F1's greatest ever sportsman, as he also holds the record for most F1 wins, with 103, pole positions, with 103, and podium finishes, with 182. Born Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, Hamilton grew up in the Hertfordshire town of Stevenage to parents Anthony and Carmen. Hamilton's parents separated when he was two, after which he lived with his mother and older half-sisters, Samantha and Nicola, until he was twelve. Hamilton then lived with his father, stepmother Linda, and his half-brother, who is a professional racing driver in the British Touring Car Championship. His father bought him his first go-kart when he was six and took redundancy from his IT job, working jobs as a contractor, to support his son's racing career.

Hamilton quickly began winning races and cadet class championships and became the youngest driver to win the British cadet karting championship at the age of ten. A generational talent, Hamilton quickly rose through the junior karting ranks and began his car racing career in the 2001 British Formula Renault Winter Series. He joined GP2 - F1's second competition - in 2006 winning the championship at his first attempt. He signed an F1 contract with British team McLaren for the 2007 season, becoming the first, and as of yet only black racer in F1's history. Hamilton made the podium in his debut race and lost out on the driver's championship to Kimi Räikkönen by one point. He won the first of his seven F1 world championship - his only one with McLaren - the following season after a dramatic finale in Brazil. Compatriot Jenson Button won the following season, while Sebastian Vettle's in his Red Bull dominated for the next four years - by which time Hamilton had joined Mercedes.


Hamilton's knighthood investiture is the the first time Lewis Hamilton has met Prince Charles. Here he is pictured talking to the royal as a young 14-year-old go-karter

With the backing of the German team Hamilton has won six out of seven of the next world championships, losing only once to his team mate Nico Rosberg in a dramatic and fiery title fight. Despite losing the crown this season to Verstappen, Hamilton looks likely to battle for his eight world championship next season. Earlier this year he signed a two year contract that will keep him in F1 with the Silver Arrows until at least the end of 2023.

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