According to information reported by the British tabloid The Sun, Lewis Hamilton is expected to be knighted by the Queen after winning his seventh world title in Formula One.
Hamilton is expected to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his sporting merits and after making history by winning his seventh F1 world title, or that’s what has been reported by a single source as of yesterday.
If true, the Briton will thus become the fifth person in Formula 1 to receive the distinction after Frank Williams in 1999, Stirling Moss in 2000, Jackie Stewart in 2001, and Patrick Head in 2015.
Lewis Hamilton and his compatriot Jenson Button were also on the list of honours in 2009, but were also awarded a lesser distinction – Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) – in recognition of their respective titles. Recently, other Formula One members such as Claire Williams, Adrian Newey, Christian Horner and Susie Wolff have also been honoured.
Hamilton is claimed to be knighted early next year according to The Sun, but as yet, no official information has been released on this.
Perhaps there is a reality check required here – as much as many F1 fans and pundits alike wish a Knighthood to occur, could this be a case of ‘Chinese whispers’ within the media, with certain individuals hoping that if it is mentioned enough, it will happen?
According to the Daily Mail last week, Lord Hain (a former cabinet minister), sent a second letter to Boris Johnson calling for Hamilton to be promoted from in the New Year Honours from the MBE he received 12 years ago. According to the tabloid, Hain looked into Hamilton’s alleged tax avoidance history and concluded that actually, the driver was one of the UK’s top 5000 taxpayers.
Certainly, the tabloid involved with the story, namely the Sun, and soon afterward, the Daily Mail (both publishing stories on Sunday) have been accused of so-called ‘Fake News’ before, so it does beg the question as to if there is any validity to this Knighthood story?
It might be said that these publications have happened after a week of constant rhetoric, since securing the 7th WDC, on if Hamilton does (or does not) deserve a Knighthood, various tabloids calling on other sporting ‘legends’ to explain if Hamilton should become a Knight.
Last night the Daily Mail went one better than their original Lord Hain story, reporting that they believe that since receiving the letter, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself personally had a say in the honours list, pushing the Queen’s Honours team for Hamilton to become a Knight, which is patently ridiculous.
It will remain to be seen if Lewis achieves the honour, a rarity for active sportspeople, and no doubt the debate will rumble on as to whether such an accolade is deserving.
Hamilton’s ‘robust’ response to the critics
Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton is convinced that having a good team and a good car are the two decisive factors in the success of Formula 1 drivers.
Last weekend in Turkey with his 94th Formula 1 victory, Lewis Hamilton claimed his seventh world title in the Formula 1 championship, equalling the record previously held by Michael Schumacher.
Despite the obvious talent of the Briton, some critics believe that his….. READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Its funny that irrespective of which side of the fence one happens to sit, the only people that this seems to be a story for, are basically anyone NOT Lewis Hamilton.
He is widely quoted as saying that it means little to him and there are more important things in his life and the sport to achieve
“Every year we talk about this and I naturally get the questions and I don’t really have anything different to say, compared to before,” said Hamilton.
“When I think about that honour, I think about people like my grandad who served in the war, I think about Sir Captain Tom who got knighted and waited 100 years for that incredible honour. The people that are running hospitals, the nurses and doctors who are saving lives during the hardest time ever.
“I think about those unsung heroes and I don’t look at myself as an unsung hero. I’ve not saved anybody. It is an incredible honour that a small group of people have had bestowed upon them.
“All I can say is that standing today, and hearing the national anthem I’m very, very proud. I am a very proud Brit and that, as I said before, this really is like the most special moment to be able to represent, to be up there representing a nation. Having the flag over your head, over number one, that is such an incredible honour. That’s really all I have to say about it.
“It’s not something that I think about. I’ve got a lot of work to do. There’s more work to do here in this sport.”
G, you still haven’t replied to me on the thread of the other news article.
You know, the one where you called me racist because I don’t like LH? But have since told you I am myself, black. Am I still racist?
I hadn’t replied because I didn’t see it. I didn’t know that I needed to
For the record, I didn’t call you or anyone racist
I was merely pointing out that race didn’t come into it with anyone’s arguments, criticisms or whatever with Michael while he was in his prime
Moving off topic a little but picking up on your ” am myself, black. Am I still racist?” comment (I am aware that I could be treading a very delicate line here, and not being the most eloquent of wordsmiths I may inadvertently and unwillingly put my foot in it…… apologies is so….
I have personal experience as well as witness of individuals of different ethnic groups being VERY racist against other groups. Just because someone is black or asian or whatever, doesn’t automatically exempt them from being racist.
Families of 2 different girlfriends of mine when I was a kid, one black and one indian, were racist towards me as a white kid dating their daughter
For the record badgerman – i just replied here but my comment hasnt appeared, so may have been moderated off.
In summary however, I wasn’t calling you what you think