F1 legend Bernie Ecclestone previously explained why he refused a knighthood

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Bernie Ecclestone turned down a knighthood in the past(Image: Zak Mauger, LAT Imagesvia Getty Images)

Formula One legend Bernie Ecclestone turned down a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II after insisting he hadn’t done enough to deserve the honour. While the 2026 New Year’s Honours List was published on Monday, Ecclestone previously explained why he rejected the prestigious title.

The 95-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Formula 1 history. Beginning his career as a driver, he went on to become a team manager and remained involved in the sport for decades.

Ecclestone notably established the Formula One Group in 1987, which controlled the sport’s commercial rights. Despite his motorsport achievements, the F1 supremo believed his accomplishments didn’t merit a knighthood and was remarkably honest when explaining his decision to decline the honour in the 1990s.

“Whatever I did, I did for myself,” he told The Telegraph earlier this year. “If somebody benefited from that, good. But it was never my intention.

“I thought these awards should only be for people who had captured a country, gone back to the Queen and given her the keys. ‘There you go, we’ve captured India.'”

While Ecclestone felt he didn’t deserve a knighthood because he had acted in his own interests, his association of the honours system with Britain’s colonial past would likely have caused some discomfort. He previously made a similar argument in 2017, arguing that only those who served their country should receive such recognition.

“If England benefited from it, then good, I didn’t go out particularly to do that,” Ecclestone said. “I think the whole system is wrong.

“I think if somebody actually dedicates themselves to do something for the country and is proud to do it, they should be recognised for that.”

Four F1 drivers have previously been knighted, with Lewis Hamilton joining the ranks of Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham in 2021. Former McLaren team principal Ron Dennis also received a knighthood last year, though his honour was for contributions to industry and charity.

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Lewis Hamilton previously opened up about being knighted(Image: Getty)

Reflecting on his own knighthood, seven-time world champion Hamilton shared an unexpected anecdote about Prince Charles. The pair had met when Hamilton was just a teenager and the future King remembered their paths crossing.

“I was 13. I went to McLaren when I was 13 years old. I went to the factory and he [King Charles] came to open the factory up,” Hamilton revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I was sitting in my go-kart where they have all the cars and I sat there and he came in, he knelt down and asked me what I wanted to do and what my dreams were, and told him one day I wanted to be a Formula One world champion.

“So coming to all the way down the line, I’m at the palace, and you have to take these certain steps to get to the prince, very, very, very formal. You walk in, like take three steps, turn 90 degrees, take another four steps and then turn left, bow, two steps and then take the knee, and I took the knee and he puts the sword on your shoulders.

“But when I go back off, he’s like, you’ve come a long way. So he said he remembered speaking and we had a real short chat.”