Ex-driver and commentator Martin Brundle believes that Lewis Hamilton’s recognition in the New Year Honours list is “well deserved”.
Hamilton will be knighted after a record-breaking 2020 season, where he equalled Michael Schumacher with seven world titles and broke the record for most wins.
The 35-year-old won 11 of the 17 Grands Prix held this year, with a dramatic comeback drive at Istanbul Park sealing him the title.
Reacting to the news, Brundle, a long-time Formula 1 commentator in the UK and nine-time podium sitter, said that the Brit was as deserving of the honour as anyone else in “sporting terms”.
“Congratulations to him, and very well deserved,” Brundle told Sky Sports News. “Seven world titles he has in his pocket now equalling the great Michael Schumacher. He tops the tables in Formula 1 for most victories at 95, most pole positions at 98, most podiums at 165.
“He’s 36 years old on January 7. Most of the young guns aiming to knock him off the pedestal are 10-15 years younger than him and he still turns up with his A game; full of energy, pushing like crazy. If anybody in sporting terms deserves this recognition then surely it’s Sir Lewis Hamilton.”
Alongside his achievements on the track, Hamilton has become increasingly vocal as an activist in light of the Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
In order to support their driver, Mercedes opted to use a black livery throughout the 2020 season, while a number of drivers began taking a knee before races.
The 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill highlighted Hamilton’s activism as another key reason behind the honour.
“He is standing up for issues that are close to his heart and affect everyone, and in our sport it’s very rare for a driver to get involved in anything that’s outside of Formula 1,” Hill told Sky Sports.
“Lewis has said ‘this affects me, this affects every black person’. He’s stood up at a time when it could have destabilised his career, could have destabilised his concentration on the championship. So he took a huge gamble to do that, and that’s courage and that’s standing up for what you believe is right.”