Lewis Hamilton officially crowned Formula 1 world champion

Lewis Hamilton has officially been crowned a four-time F1 world champion at the FIA's annual awards ceremony.

Two weeks after the chequered flag fell on the 2017 F1 season, Hamilton was back in the limelight as the Englishman collected his fourth drivers' title at a glittering ceremony at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

Newly-appointed Sauber driver Charles Leclerc won the award for Rookie of the Year while Red Bull's Max Verstappen won Personality of the Year for the third year in a row.

Hamilton became only the fifth driver in F1 history to reach the four-championships landmark when he clinched the title in Mexico in October.

Brawn: Hamilton can match Schumacher's record
Where is Hamilton among the greats?

Hamilton's achievement, in a season in which he set a new all-time record for pole positions in F1, has brought into focus Michael Schumacher's unsurpassed haul of seven world championships. But the 32-year-old has admitted he doesn't believe he will be able to match Schumacher's championship tally.

"I can't see it at the moment," Hamilton said. "Four more? It's taken me 10 years to achieve these four. I currently don't have that desire to match it."

But Hamilton revealed he does have another title target in mind as a fifth championship would draw him level in the all-time standings alongside the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio.

"Matching Fangio would be cool," Hamilton said. "Being that l will be here for at least a couple more years, that's my goal - to at least get that."

Vettel opens up on Baku
Meanwhile, in a revealing insight into the title fight which defined the F1 year, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel says he "struggled" to come to terms with his role in his collision with Hamilton in the Azerbaijan GP.

"The worst feeling was Baku," Vettel admitted during his reflections on 2017.

Sky Sports F1 is the only place to watch every Formula 1 Grand Prix, qualifying and practice session live in 2018. Get Sky Sports F1.