F1 | Lewis Hamilton wins BBC's Sports Personality of the Year for a second time
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is a live televised event which celebrates the last year of sport. During last night's ceremony, Lewis Hamilton was awarded the top title for a second time.
The prestigious title of this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award has been voted for by the Great British public in a live telephone vote and was bestowed on 7-time F1 Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton.
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is a live televised event which celebrates the last year of sport and pays tribute to those who have achieved so much. The event also remembers iconic figures from sport who are no longer with us and departed during the course of the year.
As such, Sir Stirling Moss, himself a winner of the BBC Award back in 1961, was remembered in the ‘in memoriam’ section as soul singer Celeste sang an original version of Nat King Cole’s ‘Smile’. The performance by the British songstress took place over a sequence of images of gone but not forgotten greats from the sporting world.
Lewis Hamilton, having experienced the toughest year of his F1 career by his own admission, was given yet another reason to smile following the events of Sunday’s proceedings. In a field of nominees from all corners of sport, Hamilton came out on top to claim the title after the public vote.
In a vote by BBC viewers, Lewis Hamilton beat footballer Jordan Henderson, cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Hollie Doyle, snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan and boxer Tyson Fury to the prestigious award in the most unusual of years. So unusual in fact that Tyson Fury had actively campaigned for people not to vote for him.
As Hollie Doyle was announced in third place in recognition of her year of taking the horse racing world by storm, next came Liverpool F.C’s record breaking Captain Jordan Henderson as runner up. Then, to a visible shock for the talented Briton, came the announcement that Lewis Hamilton had taken the top prize.
Lewis Hamilton had previously won the Sports Personality of the Year Award back in 2014. On that momentous occasion he was celebrating having claimed his second F1 Drivers’ Championship. Now, 6 years later and matching Michael Schumacher’s 7 F1 Drivers’ Championships, the BBC Award was his once again.
“I just want to say congratulations to all the incredible nominees because I'm so proud of what they have achieved this year and I really want to say thank you for everyone that's called in and voted for me,” he said. “I really wasn't expecting this knowing that there's so many great contenders.”
“But I think we're all winners, and I really want to send a Merry Christmas to everyone. I know it's been such an unusual year, but to all the frontline workers and all the children around the world: please try and stay positive through this difficult time.
“I'm sending everyone positivity and, again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“I think this year has just shown, and it does every year, just shows how many iconic heroes we have in the UK,” added a gracious Hamilton. “I'm just really proud to be amongst them all, and I will continue to try and do my part for representing the country in the best way I can.
“And please everyone out there, go out and follow your dreams. For the kids, please never give up on yourself. Continue to believe in yourself, because you have what it takes to be great.”
Prior to the announcement, Lewis Hamilton had been interviewed during the broadcast to reflect on the year he has had, a year which brought a record equaling 7 Drivers’ F1 World Championships.
Speaking from a remote location stood in front of a Christmas tree, Lewis Hamilton told interviewer Alex Scott ‘Yeah, I didn’t do it’ in response to the praise for its decorations. What Lewis Hamilton did do over the course of 2020 was far more impressive whether on or off the racetrack.
In response to why he sounded so emotional on team radio having crossed the line at the Turkish Grand Prix and claimed a 7th Championship, Hamilton responded:
I’ve been racing for 27 years and it’s taken a long time. I think it was such a farfetched dream for us as a family and there were so many sacrifices for my family and along the way so many trials and tribulations obviously and I think just those last few laps and then building up to the last world title and that dream becoming a reality, I just thought about all my family gave to get me there and it just brought up a lot of emotion that I, I mean I wasn’t expecting naturally and I’m grateful it happened.
Lewis Hamilton was also quick to pay tribute to those around him who have helped him reach this point in his career. Hardly a surprise from the man who races under the slogan ‘Still we rise.’
Firstly, I couldn’t have done that without a great group of people behind me. I’m so grateful for all their hard work and I think it’s a collaboration. I love that each year we have to raise the bar…I think it’s just a part of my DNA. I love what I do and I’ve been passionate about it since I was 5 years old. Each year I come back and I am already back into training since I fell ill and I am already focused on being better next year but it’s easier said than done.
Lewis Hamilton has also had a busy year using his platform campaigning for equality, ending racism and as such has set up the Hamilton Commission. The Briton was asked as to what impact he feels his initiatives would have on the world of Formula One, a sport in which he is still the only black driver:
‘Well it’s never been a diverse sport and I think this year you’ve seen inspirational individuals and congratulations to Marcus there.”
The Marcus in question is England International footballer Marcus Rashford who has pioneered for free school meals to be provided for children in Britain during lockdown – when Parliament had chosen to end a scheme early.
‘There’s so many people doing great things out there. I think our sport, it needs to be, it shouldn’t be a matter for where you come from. We’ve really got to fight for gender equality. That shouldn’t matter where your socio-economic background is and or your religion. So I think we’ve got to work together collectively and that’s I put the Hamilton Commission together. To try and find out what the barriers are and break those down. It does go down to education but really try to help encourage and as I said, remove those barriers for young black kids, getting into STEM subjects (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) so they can get into engineering. There are so many jobs, great jobs, within our industry.
And then with a smile Hamilton said ‘It’s not about seeing the next me come through particularly. It’s really about creating opportunities, equal opportunities and reflective of the outside world.”
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team and Team principal Toto Wolff were also nominated as ‘Team of the Year’ and ‘Coach of the Year’. However, those titles went to Liverpool Football Cub and the team’s manager Jurgen Klopp respectively for their 2019-20 English Premier League success.
Formula One is of course a team sport but Mercedes would certainly be a lesser team without Lewis Hamilton at the forefront of it.
Having claimed the award for a second time last night, Lewis Hamilton is in good company with other motorsport icons. British F1 Champions Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell are also two-time Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) winners. Damon Hill was featured last night as part of a video wall of previous winners applauding the recipients throughout the night’s events.
Sir Jackie Stewart also won the accolade in 1973 following his third F1 Drivers’ Championship title and a third SPOTY could easily be heading to Lewis Hamilton in 2021 if an 8th F1 Drivers’ Championship was to come his way.
Congratulations Lewis on yet another deserved award.
