"I can't become a Sir in Holland" - Max Verstappen mocks Lewis Hamilton's knighthood

Newly crowned F1 world champion Max Verstappen has taken a dig at Lewis Hamilton by mocking the latter’s recent knighting by the British royal family.

In an interview on the German talk show Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7, the Dutchman said:

“The title of world champion is enough. I can’t become a Sir in Holland, but I don’t need to. I’m a racing driver.”

Three days after losing his bid for an eighth F1 world title, Lewis Hamilton was knighted by the Prince of Wales for his services to motorsport in a ceremony held at Windsor Castle.

Along with Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, and Stirling Moss, Lewis Hamilton is one of four F1 drivers to be knighted by the British royal family. The 36-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest drivers in F1 history and has more records to his name than most drivers.

This is not the first time that the Briton has been honored by the royal family. Hamilton was honored with an MBE in 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II, after winning his first F1 world championship. Furthermore, he was named the British Sports Personality of the Year in 2017 by the BBC.

Meanwhile, at just 24 years of age, Max Verstappen is one of the youngest F1 world champions in the sport’s history.

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Max Verstappen not disappointed at the way 2021 title was decided

Max Verstappen has revealed that he is not disappointed at the way the 2021 title was decided. He feels that the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix “sums up” the whole season.

In a post-season interview with CNN, the Dutchman said:

“I'm not disappointed at all. It sums up the season as a whole. It's been pretty crazy, pretty intense.”

Verstappen managed to clinch his first F1 world championship by overtaking title rival Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the season-ender in Abu Dhabi. He was inadvertently helped by a controversial safety car restart late in the race, which many claim gave him an unfair advantage.

Many others in the F1 community, however, have expressed their support for Verstappen. They regard him as a deserving winner and are wary that the controversy surrounding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could tarnish Verstappen’s first world title.

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