Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is missing on the short list for the Sports Personality of the year.
This comes as the 36-year old missed securing his eighth Formula 1 title in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend.
The BBC holds the Sports Personality of the Year event annually on December with an aim to celebrate and acknowledge successful sportsmen and women in Britain. However, this time round Hamilton’s name did not appear for the award despite winning twice in previous years.
The Brit’s hopes of winning a record eighth title were shattered on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the lead. The move was very controversial as a late Safety Car put Verstappen directly behind Hamilton after clearing five lapped cars between the title rivals to overtake the Safety Car. The Race Control intervention widely received criticism as it saw the title fight fall in Verstappen’s favor.
With Hamilton’s name missing in the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist, Max Verstappen was nominated for the International World Sports Star gong. The award acknowledges the successes of sportsmen from overseas.
Some of the athletes that were nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year awards were tennis player Emma Raducanu who won the United States Open. Raducanu is a close friend of Hamilton besides being a Formula 1 fan. Tokyo games Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley was also nominated next to boxer Tyson Fury and 100m breaststroke gold medalist Adam Peaty.
