"Never thought I'd have so many followers": Lewis Hamilton on role of fans and social media

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he never expected to be as famous as he is and have as many social media followers as he does.

In a video uploaded by Petronas Motorsports, the Mercedes driver was asked about his fandom on social media and whether he enjoys interacting with them online. He said:

"Yeah, I mean I never thought I'd have so many followers. I've never really seen this picture so big! I've probably got to change it soon!"

Lewis Hamilton has 26.3 million followers on popular social media site Instagram. To put it into perspective, his Mercedes team has 8.6 million followers on the same platform.

The Briton also has 6.9 million followers on Twitter and 5.9 million on Facebook.

But he has not been too active on social media of late, ever since he was beaten to the 2021 drivers' world championship by Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton also stopped following everyone on his list on Instagram recently. This happened days after he chose to stop following F1's official page on the platform.

Many have speculated that it could be his reaction to the FIA's controversial stewardship of the 2021 F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Some even feel it's a hint that the seven-time world champion is considering retirement.

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes contract sees him drive for them until 2023, partnered by George Russell, who moved on from Williams following the 2021 season.

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Lewis Hamilton fourth F1 driver to receive knighthood

Lewis Hamilton had something to celebrate despite the disappointing end to his season - receiving his knighthood at Windsor castle.

The seven-time world champion was knighted by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, for his contribution to the world of motorsports and rose as Sir Lewis Hamilton.

In doing so, he became the fourth F1 driver to be knighted after Sirs Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, and Jackie Stewart.

Lewis Hamilton, however, did not share any photos from the event, keeping in tandem with his ongoing social media hiatus.

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