The BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2023 is set to be announced this evening with nominations for cricketer Stuart Broad, footballer Mary Earps, golfer Rory McIlroy, jockey Frankie Dettori, wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett and athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
The achievement is awarded to an athlete who is either British or lives and plays a significant amount of their sport in the UK. The athletes are picked based on their achievements from the last year, with a public vote deciding the overall winner.
Although no Formula 1 drivers are nominated this year, five drivers have successfully taken home the award since the prestigious award began in 1954. F1 has had a variety of awards over the years including Young Sports Personality of the Year awarded to Jenson Button in 2000, World Sport Star of the Year going to Niki Lauda in 1977 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013 and even Team of the Year awards for Cooper in 1960 and BRM in 1962.
Here’s everything you need to know about the five drivers who have managed to scoop the BBC Sports Personality of the Year:
Lewis Hamilton is the most recent F1 driver to win the BBC Sports Personality of the year and has secured the award twice. Hamilton took BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2014, beating out golfer Rory McIlroy and athlete Jo Pavey before beating footballer Jordan Henderson and boxer Tyson Fury in 2020.
His first award came after he proved victorious over his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the year’s drivers’ championship.
The win was his second championship title and Hamilton’s first for Mercedes after taking his first championship victory with McLaren in 2008, and also helped secure the team their first constructors’ championship. Hamilton’s 2014 title ended Red Bull’s 4 years of championship dominance, with Sebastian Vettel claiming the title in 2010.
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-23 Mercedes, 3rd position, leads Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber F1 08, 4th position.
The second BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for the Brit came at the end of 2020 after he had equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championship titles, as well as breaking the German driver’s record of 91 career wins. This was the last championship win for Lewis Hamilton, who then came second in the drivers’ championship in 2021.
Hamilton has finished second in the BBC Sports…
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