Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has been knighted at Windsor Castle.

Just days after coming agonisingly short of winning his eighth drivers’ championship in the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton received his knighthood from Prince Charles.

The 36-year-old appeared on the 2021 New Year Honours list after equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven F1 championships in 2020.

The Mercedes driver attended the ceremony with his mother, Carmen Lockhart.

Hamilton did not speak to reporters after the ceremony, only posing for pictures in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle.

He is the fourth F1 driver to be knighted after Australian Jack Brabham,  Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart.

Hamilton is the first to receive his knighthood while still competing.

It entitles him to the honorary title “sir”.

The newly knighted driver is expected to attend the official F1 prize-giving ceremony in Paris on Thursday evening (local time) despite his team contesting the result of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton, needing to finish ahead of Max Verstappen to win his eighth title on Sunday, had a lead of more than 10 seconds when a late safety car sent the championship decider into chaos.

The Mercedes star did not have time to come into the pits for new tyres and still emerge in the race lead, while Verstappen did have that luxury in second place.

Race director Michael Masi then made a controversial decision to allow the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen through, despite seemingly contravening the sport’s regulations.

Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap to win his first drivers’ championship, while Mercedes immediately lodged two protests, which were dismissed.

Mercedes has announced its intention to appeal both of those dismissals.