BBC 2018 sports personality of the year: How did Hamilton not win?

When Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One  world championship for the 5th time this year, he not only became the greatest British F1 driver ever, he also became the best driver of his generation, and undoubtedly one of the very best the sport of as ever seen.

So, why, in the British public’s eyes did he not win BBC 2018 sports person of the year? My first thoughts were, ‘well, it’s not as though he’s not won this award in the past’, but then I realised that Andy Murray has won it three times, and with all due respect to Murray he is not one of the game’s all-time greats. Then I thought, well, may be the public see the Hamilton’s achievement is in part due because he drives a Mercedes, who’ve won the last four championships.

Two things there; First, the Sky cycling team to which this year’s BBC winner Geraint Davis, has won the Tour De France for the past five years, and in this last F1 season Ferrari had consistently the faster car, the big difference being was Hamilton’s supreme driving ability, particularly to win in under pressure and in difficult weather conditions.

In the end and I’m sure that the 100 million dollar life style, Hamilton has, along with the safe knowledge that he’s one of the best drivers ever to have gotten into a F1 car, will be reward enough for him. But I’m sure there will be a small part of Hamilton that will say: ‘Will I ever be truly recognised by my own people?’.

Simon Woolley