Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was crowned as BBC Sports Personality of the Year for the second time after a record breaking year in his sport.

Hamilton, the 67th winner of the award, was the favourite to win the gong after equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world titles with his fourth consecutive championship.

He also surpassed the German great’s total of 91 Grand Prix victories.

After winning the award, the British driver said: ‘I want to say congratulations to all the incredible nominees. I’m so proud of what they have achieved.

‘I want to say thank you to everyone that has voted for me. I wasn’t expecting this knowing there’s so many great contenders.

‘I want to say Merry Christmas to everyone – it’s been such an unusual year and I want to mention all the frontline workers and all the children round the world, I want you to try and stay positive through this difficult time, I’m sending you all positivity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson finished second, while Jockey Hollie Doyle finished third.

Reflecting on his nomination earlier in the night, Hamilton said: ‘I’ve been racing 27 years it’s been a long time, there were so many sacrifices for my family.

‘Those last few laps building up to the world title and the dream becoming a reality I thought about all my family gave and it bought out a lot of emotion.

‘I couldn’t have done it without a great group of people behind me, it’s a collaboration we have to raise the bar every year and working with a group of people who are raising the bar collectively.

‘I love what I do I’ve been passionate about it since I was five years old. I’m already back in training and focusing on what I can do next year.’

Speaking about the lack of diversity in F1, he added: ‘It’s never been a diverse sport this year you’ve seen so many inspirational individuals, our sport shouldn’t matter where you come from.

‘We have to fight for gender equality and it shouldn’t matter where you come from. We have to break the barriers down and it comes down to education.’

Liverpool Football Club, meanwhile, won the team of the year prize.

Manger Jurgen Klopp and captain Jordan Henderson collected the award after winning their first Premier League title in 30 years.

Klopp, who said winning the team of the year award was ‘even sweeter’ because he was picking it up in Manchester, was then honoured as coach of the year.

Klopp said: ‘My team deserve this, because they did an incredible job. It’s a mix of talent, character, desire and the power of the club which is a big one. That all comes together and it was a great moment when we became Champions.

‘We want to organise a big party when it’s allowed again, could take a little while again but until then maybe we can win something else we will see. We can’t wait to see the fans again and winning this prize in Manchester is even sweeter.’

The six-man shortlist for the main prize featured representatives from cricket, horse racing, boxing, F1, football and snooker, with Stuart Broad, Hollie Doyle, Tyson Fury, Lewis Hamilton, Jordan Henderson and Ronnie O’Sullivan all up for the top prize.

Broad, the Nottinghamshire fast bowler, passed 500 career wickets during the final two tests against the West Indies this summer.

Doyle, the only female nominee and the first female jockey to be nominated for this award, rode a historic double on British Champions Day, broke her own record for the number of winners ridden by a British woman in a year, while becoming the first woman to ride five riders on the same card.

BBC SPOTY nominees 2020

Stuart Broad
Hollie Doyle
Tyson Fury
Lewis Hamilton
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Jordan Henderson

Fury became a two-time world heavyweight champion by defeating Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title in Las Vegas in February. Fury, however, asked to be removed from the shortlist and refused to engage with the awards ceremony.

England midfielder Henderson, meanwhile, guided Liverpool to their first Premier League title in 30 years.

Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan – nominated for the first time – won his sixth world title at the Crucible to become the oldest champion for more than 40 years.

Elsewhere, Captain Tom Moore won the Helen Rollason award after he raised £39million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden.

An new category was named after Captain Tom, and Tobias Weller won the ‘Captain Tom Young Unsung Hero’ award.

UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov won the world sport star, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix claimed Young Sports Personality of the Year while Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford was also honoured.

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