Hamilton receives the title of Knight from the hands of Prince Charles and becomes Sir

Seven times F1 champion, the English driver Lewis Hamilton, 36, received the title of Knight of the Order of the British Empire, this Wednesday (15th). The ceremony was held at Windsor Castle and the title was presented by Prince Charles of Wales.

With the commendation, the pilot is given the title of Sir. Former Brazilian player Pelé received an equivalent decoration in 1997 from Queen Elizabeth II, but, as he was not British, he did not receive the nickname Sir, according to Buckingham Palace reported at the time.

Hamilton is not the first pilot to join the ranks of Knight of the Order of the British Empire. Before him, Australian Jack Brabham, in 1978, and Britons Stirling Moss, in 2000, and Jackie Stewart, in 2001, were honored.

The Mercedes driver lost his chance to win the eighth F1 title, something unprecedented in the main category of motorsport, on Sunday (12). He finished second at the Abu Dhabi GP and saw Dutchman Max Verstappen, 24, lift the cup.

Hamilton and Verstappen reached the last race of the season tied in the standings, with 369.5 points each. The Englishman led most of the race and, on the last lap, was passed by Verstappen, from Red Bull.

Hamilton is the biggest winner alongside German Michael Schumacher. In 2009, a year after winning his first F1 championship, he was recognized as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.