2020 ends and Lewis Hamilton continues to add accolades after having achieved his seventh championship in Formula 1.
In this case, a very special one like Caballero’s, and it was through a decree of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
He is the fourth driver in history to achieve this title after Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham. Sir Frank Williams and Sir Patrick Head, former Williams technical manager, join in.
This is one of the highest honors awarded in the UK.
It is a recognition that dates back to medieval times and bears the title of Knight. Awarded to a chosen few for exceptional achievement, in any given activity. Although the determination of the British president raised some controversy.
A Daily Mail report claims Johnson intervened to secure Hamilton’s title and placed him on the “Overseas and Diplomatic List.”
This is due to the tax status of the seven-time champion, who has lived in Monaco for more than a decade. After completing his first season at Maxima in 2007, the Englishman first moved from the UK to Switzerland.
The sports honors committee finds that Hamilton’s residence in Monaco meant that HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) cannot adequately scrutinize his tax matters, a prerequisite for all British awards that could be named as Sir.
In an interview with the Sunday Times in 2017, Lewis said: “What people don’t realize is that I pay taxes here, but I don’t make all my money here.
I run in 19 different countries, so I earn my money in 20 different places and I pay taxes in several different places, and I pay a lot here too. “
“I am contributing to the country and, not only that, I help maintain a team of more than 1,000 employed people (Mercedes). I am part of a much larger picture, “he added.
That is why Johnson used the designation ‘overseas’ which ‘recognizes people who have provided exceptional service to the UK overseas and internationally’.
Englishman Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the Formula 1 British Grand Prix ‘in extremis’
While the former Labor Cabinet Minister Lord Hain, said that “Hamilton is among the 5,000 largest taxpayers in the United Kingdom.”
But the merits of Hamilton to access this honor were not only sports, beyond that this year he equaled the number of titles of Michael Schumacher and surpassed the German in number of victories, 95 celebrations, against 91 of the Kaiser.
It also influenced the English runner’s fight against racism following the assassination of George Floyd in the United States. He even promoted kneeling before starts and each wore a T-shirt with the legend “Black Lives Matter” (black lives matter too).
In this regard, Lewis, when he was invited to the BBC Radio 4 Today program on Boxing Day, said: “This year I had this extra push to get to the end of those races.
It was a different impulse than I had in the past. Get to the end of those races first so I can use that platform (for Black Lives Matter) and shine the light as brightly as possible. “
On his new honors, Stefano Domenicali, F1’s newest CEO, said “Lewis is a true giant of our sport and his influence is enormous both in and out of a car.
What he has accomplished is phenomenal and there is still more to come. Everyone in F1 congratulates him on this well-deserved recognition of his achievements and we look forward to seeing more of his brilliance in 2021. ”
Although his renewal with Mercedes for 2021 is not officially confirmed, his continuity is a fact because the same International Automobile Federation (FIA) published in its list of drivers and the British appears in the German team.
In addition, the rest of the places are already occupied. It turned out that the contract would be around 70 million euros per season, in a three-year bond.
It should be remembered that the English rider was also chosen as “Sports Personality of the Year” by the BBC and the FIA.
He was named in Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people. And with him, for the first time an F1 driver won the “Sportsman of the Year” award from the French newspaper L’Equipe.
Hamilton, who will turn 36 on January 7, is on his way to capturing his eighth crown in 2021 and being the most successful in F1 history.
Sports have already transcended. With the title of Sir he reaches a level only for the chosen ones. (GG) (Infobae)