Lewis Hamilton leads tributes as F1 holds a minute's silence for Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the Italian Grand Prix

Formula One's drivers and teams observed a minute's silence ahead of practice for the Italian Grand Prix following the death of Queen Elizabeth II aged 96.

On Friday afternoon, personnel of all 10 teams stood outside their garages in the pit lane to observe the tribute, followed by short applause.

Each team had either driver stood either side of their team boss standing in front of the rest of the team.

The Italian Grand Prix will go ahead as planned on Sept. 11 and several teams are expected to run tributes to the queen on their cars.v

F1 is yet to confirm whether a further tribute will follow ahead of the race on Sunday.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who received an MBE from the queen in 2009, shared a statement on Friday.

"How do you find the words to describe the loss of Her Majesty The Queen? She was truly an iconic leader, an inspiration, and a reassuring presence for most, if not all, of our lives.

"Since the sad news yesterday, I've been reflecting on her incredible life. She was a symbol of hope for so many and she served her country with dignity, dedication, and kindness.

She was truly like no other and I'm grateful to have lived during her time. Her legacy will be long-lasting and her passing deeply felt.

"I had the incredible honor of being able to spend time with her. It is something I'll never forget.

We talked about our shared love of dogs and she was incredibly generous with her time.

 I know the whole nation and many others around the world will be mourning her loss and my thoughts and prayers are with her family and all those close to her, who have lost a loved one. Rest in Peace."

Hamilton received his knighthood at the start of 2022, giving him the formal title of 'Sir Lewis Hamilton', from Prince Charles, who became King Charles III on Thursday following the death of the queen.

Queen Elizabeth II's father, King George VI, attended the first ever world championship Formula One race, the 1950 British Grand Prix.

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