Sir Lewis Hamilton, who was knighted for services to motorsports in the 2021 New Year Honours, is one of the few sportspeople to have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award more than once. He first did so in 2014 when, at the age of 29, he won the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship for the second time, thereby becoming the fourth Briton to win the world title more than once. On that occasion, Hamilton polled 34% of the public vote, comfortably ahead of golfer Rory McIlroy and athlete Jo Pavey. However, he did seem genuinely surprised to have won. Accepting the award from Kenny (now Sir Kenny) Dalglish, he said, “I want to say a huge thank you to all the people who called in, I really wasn’t expecting it.”
Fast forward half a dozen years, to 2020, and Hamilton was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a second time, following a record-breaking year. He won his fourth consecutive world drivers’ championship, making seven in all and thereby equalling the record previously set by Michael Schumacher. Victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix also took his career total to 92 Grand Prix wins, moving him ahead of Schumacher in the all-time list. In all, he won 11 of the 17 Grand Prixs contested during the delayed 2020 season and achieved three further podium finishers.
The then 35-year-old Mercedes driver had been the overwhelming favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and duly outpointed footballer Jordan Henderson and jockey Hollie Doyle in the public vote, with boxer Tyson Fury, cricketer Stuart Broad and snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan also on the shortlist. In winning the award for a second time, joined four previous multiple winners, namely Sir Henry Cooper, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Sir Andy Murray.
Collecting the reward remotely, at his home, Hamilton was quick to express his gratitude to the British public. He said, “It’s been a long journey together. I will continue to do my part to represent the country in the best way I can.”