Lewis Hamilton to be knighted, days after controversial F1 title loss to Max Verstappen 

Lewis Hamilton is to be knighted at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, for his services to motorsports, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday morning. The ceremony will take place three days after his historic last-lap loss to Max Verstappen at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 36-year-old will join an elite bunch when he becomes only the fourth F1 driver to receive the honor after Sirs Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss and Jack Brabham. Lewis Hamilton is statistically the most successful among them, with seven World Drivers' Championships (WDC), 103 race wins and as many poles and 182 podiums to his name.

The Briton's knighthood was announced last December and will come 13 years after he received an MBE for winning the WDC in 2008. Hamilton will be knighted alongside Hercule Poirot actor David Suchet and Deutsche Oper Berlin music director Donald Runnicles.

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Lewis Hamilton denied a record-breaking title win by Max Verstappen

Despite coming agonizingly close to winning an unprecedented eighth drivers' title, Lewis Hamilton lost out to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

A crash involving Nicholas Latifi brought out the Safety Car late in the going, which allowed Max Verstappen to close up on the Briton. The Red Bull Racing ace also used the opportunity to duck into the pits for fresh tires, which put him at an advantage over his title rival for the subsequent restart.

Once the Safety Car pulled off track, he overtook the Mercedes driver on the final lap to win the race and become the first-ever Dutch F1 world champion.

As it stands, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are still tied for the highest number of WDCs won by a single driver, with seven each.

Mercedes took home their eighth consecutive constructors' trophy after beating Red Bull by 28 points.