They Knighted Lewis Hamilton After He Lost
Lewis Hamilton was knighted by the British royal family on Wednesday. The seven-time Formula 1 champion was dubbed by a sword held by Prince Charles at Windsor Castle, presumably because Gan-Gan and company thought he was due for another title.
Instead, Hamilton lost to Max Verstappen during the final lap of the last race at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that took place on Sunday. Verstappen squeaked by the 36-year old Brit on Lap 58, creating a bunch of confusion about whether or not the pass took place while the safety car was on the field. Mercedes protested, alleging that Max had made an illegal pass and that Hamilton would have won the event if all lapped vehicles had overtaken the safety car due to the time allotted before the restart. It was a close race with a confusing ending. But the victory was ultimately handed to Verstappen — making knighthood a consolatory prize for Hamilton.
Ultimately, race director Michael Masi is going to take most of the blame for the way the race ended. He was the one that reversed the call to allow lapped cars to pass and established the scenario that made that final lap so contentious. Ah well. Hamilton has more than a few F1 championships under his belt already, whereas Verstappen just has the one.
Sir Hamilton follows in the footsteps of Jack Brabham, Frank Williams, and Jackie Stewart (knighted in 1978, 1999, and 2001, respectively). He’s expected to be at the FIA’s end-of-year Gala in Paris to receive his runner-up trophy on Thursday. After that, he’s bound to be back on social media (he’s been absent since December 11th) telling you to reduce your carbon footprint while he jets around the world to race automobiles and model clothes in exchange for millions of dollars. He’s easily one of the least palatable racing personalities ever to take the field, in my estimation. But if the British royals are doling out knighthood strictly on the basis of how good someone is at driving fast, then they really couldn’t have chosen anyone better.
[Image: The Royal Family]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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In 2008 the FIA didn't make magically disappear 4 cars that were lap down with the pace car being involved. This was rigged and they still haven't explain why was the reason to this decision that was rush to accommodate red bull.
I am less than pleased with the current state of F1. The sound, particularly, is terrible. I remember those screaming, almost painful V10's and V12's at 20,000 rpm. An aural symphony. I also recall when Lewis won his first title there was some concern as, I believe, Jarno Trulli managed to allow a pass he had resisted for several laps which gave Hamilton enough counters to be Champion. The name of the second place driver is lost to the vagueries of age. The point is that the same rules you extoll can be pointed against you. We have all been disappointed by the racing for twenty years now, but I will give them credit for at least trying to think of a remedy, even though they have all failed. But, to dismiss the drama that happens at midfield is to miss the majority of action. This year I was especially concerned with Alonso because he seemed to be almost on the cusp of a return to relevance. Riccardo and his mate at McLaren were also excellent - at times, while being outstandingly stupid at others. IndyCar is rapidly improving their product with some very engaging drivers in the lineup. However, F1, for good or evil, is the best racing extant. I'm expecting Lewis to do something again, and soon.