Lewis Hamilton awarded knighthood after pressure on the Prime Minister

By Graham Bean
Published 30th Dec 2020, 22:30 BST
Updated 30th Dec 2020, 22:30 BST
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Lewis Hamilton has been awarded a knighthood for services to motorsport in the New Year's Honours List. Picture: David Davies/PA WireLewis Hamilton has been awarded a knighthood for services to motorsport in the New Year's Honours List. Picture: David Davies/PA Wire
Lewis Hamilton has been awarded a knighthood for services to motorsport in the New Year's Honours List. Picture: David Davies/PA Wire
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has finally been given a knighthood in the New Year honours list following pressure on the Prime Minister to approve the accolade.

Despite being one of the UK’s most successful sportsmen Hamilton – who matched Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles in 2020 and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a second time – had previously been overlooked, reportedly due to his tax affairs.

But in November, Motorsport UK and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Formula One wrote to the PM saying it would be “totally wrong” to deny Hamilton a knighthood because his “tax status has been misunderstood”.

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The 35-year-old, who was brought up on a council estate in Stevenage, credited his success in 2020 to a new determination inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

He took the knee on the grid and wore anti-racism slogans during the season, sentiments that weren’t popular with some of his fellow drivers.

Speaking on Boxing Day, he said: “It was a different drive than what I’ve had in me in the past, to get to the end of those races first so that I could utilise that platform (for Black Lives Matter) and shine the light as bright as possible.”