Queen Elizabeth Loves Motor Racing

Britain's Queen Elizabeth loves motor racing. Formula One World champion Lewis Hamilton met the 82-year-old monarch when he collected his MBE at London's Buckingham Palace yesterday and was "lost for words" when she started chatting about cars.

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The 24-year-old driver - who donned his best pin-striped suit for the occasion - was nervous about meeting the royal, but was soon happily discussing his thrilling last-lap win in Brazil last November and his upcoming race in Australia.

He said: "I was so nervous about meeting the queen. It was one of the most overwhelming experiences I've ever had. I'm kind of lost for words."

"I don't think you realize until you're standing in front of her how special it is."

"The Queen said she watched very closely the last few laps. She was asking about the car. The pressure's on now. She'll be watching as I go into the first race."

Hamilton's brother, father and step-mother watched him accept the prestigious medal in the palace's ballroom but his girlfriend, Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, was absent.

He said: "She's on tour. She would have come for sure."

The 2009 Formula One season starts in Melbourne on March 29.