Now there are four

Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton who becomes the fourth Formula One driver to receive a knighthood. The seventh-times F1 world champion joins the late Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss plus three-times world champion Jackie Stewart.

Hamilton is the only one of the four who has been knighted while still racing.

Brabham, who won three F1 titles, was the first to receive his in 1978, followed by Stirling Moss (2000), who never won a F1 title but is considered one of the best F1 drivers of his time, and Jackie Stewart (2001), who also won three titles. All received their knighthoods well after they had retired from top-level motorsport.

It raises the question as to why has it taken so long for Hamilton to be knighted?