F1's five BBC's Sports Personality of the Year winners

1961 – Stirling Moss

Moss may never have won the F1 World Championship, but the Briton was the first active F1 driver to be named Sports Personality of the Year back in 1961.

That year saw Moss take one of his most famous Grand Prix victories, when he hustled his comparatively under-powered Lotus 18 to victory around the streets of Monaco, beating the more powerful Ferraris of Richie Ginther, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips.

Moss also took an impressive win in changeable conditions at the German Grand Prix around the fearsome 14-mile Nurburgring, going on to finish third in the Drivers' Championship in what would be his final season of Grand Prix racing.

1973 – Jackie Stewart

F1's next Sports Personality of the Year was Jackie Stewart in 1973. The Briton retired from racing at the end of that year having just taken his third World Championship title, and had become a fierce advocate for improved safety conditions in F1.

Stewart's tally of 27 Grand Prix wins stood as a record for 14 years before it was toppled by Alain Prost in 1987, and the Scotsman also held the record for most wins by a British driver until Nigel Mansell took his 28th win at the 1992 British Grand Prix.

Following his retirement from comPetitive racing, Stewart turned his hand to a media career, serving for many years as a commentator and presenter for a variety of motor racing series.

1986, 1992 – Nigel Mansell

The first F1 driver to be twice named Sports Personality of the Year, Nigel Mansell's first award came at the end of a 1986 season in which he had looked set to win his first World Championship title, only for a dramatic tyre blowout in the season finale at Adelaide to scupper his chances.

In 1992, however, Mansell would not be denied, as he cruised to his only World Championship at the wheel of the all-conquering Williams FW14B, setting records for wins, pole positions and championship points in a single season.

The Briton's record-breaking year also saw him scoop his second SPOTY Award, before he decamped to America for a new challenge in the IndyCar series.

1994, 1996 – Damon Hill

F1's next Sports Personality of the Year was also a two-time winner, with Damon Hill first winning the award in 1994 after coming agonisingly close to overhauling Michael Schumacher to that year's F1 title.

Having taken on greater leadership at Williams following the death of Ayrton Senna, Hill helped the team recover from that tragedy, and though he had a bad year in 1995, the Briton duly won his only World Championship title the following season, also collecting his second SPOTY award to boot.

2014, 2020 – Lewis Hamilton

No surprises for guessing the identity of F1's next Sports Personality of the Year. Lewis Hamilton first took the award in 2014 after having edged teammate Nico Rosberg to that year's Drivers' Championship.

The Briton’s second SPOTY win came at the end of a 2020 season in which he had equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven World Championship titles.

Though Hamilton's tally of SPOTY wins does not match his F1 title triumphs, the Briton has finished second in the BBC award on four more occasions, doing so in 2007, 2008, 2017 and 2018.

Hamilton actually holds the all-time SPOTY record for most top-three placings with six.

With his two wins and four runner-up spots, he has a total of six, one more than Snooker legend Steve Davis.

Hamilton is one of four to win the award two times, with Mansell, Hill and Boxing icon Sir Henry Cooper.

Only Tennis great Sir Andy Murray has won the main award more often, doing so three times.

And one that could have been…

While Moss was the first athlete to win Sports Personality of the Year thanks to his achievements in F1, he is not the first F1 driver to win the award.

That honour goes instead to John Surtees, who won the 1959 award after romping to title glory in that year’s Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.

The Briton made the switch from bikes to cars during 1960, and in 1964 became the first man to win World Championships on both two and four wheels.