Still basking in the warm glow that no doubt accompanied his sixth world championship, Lewis Hamilton no doubt allowed that small crumb of comfort to ease his pain as he missed out on the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award, the Mercedes driver finishing runner-up to cricketer Ben Stokes.

Talking in a video link, in which, unsurprisingly seeing as it is the BBC, Hamilton was shown with his runner-up prize, as he spoke of how "surreal" it is to be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Schumacher, while sending out a very clear message to his rivals, that his best is yet to come.

"You know, honestly, I never look at records, I don't really know why," said the Briton. "I just remember growing up in Stevenage and watching Michael Schumacher win world championships. So it's very, very surreal still to this day to have my name brought up in the same sentence as his. That's a real honour and something my family are very, very proud of.

"I am inspired by so many people who are here in the UK, here in the audience, so many of the sportsmen and women who are doing great, great things," he added. "And if there is one young kid, or even adult, who sees what I do, and it helps them get across the line, that would make me really happy.

"Working with this huge team, each year coming with the focus and being able to deliver and raise the bar each year... many of the champions out there know how hard that is," he continued. "I've been very proud of working with this great team Mercedes.

Looking ahead to next season, when he is favourite to equal Schumacher's record of seven titles, Hamilton said: "Each year, it's a new, fresh start for everyone, a new chance to rise to the challenge.

"There are a lot of young drivers now," he added. "I am the second oldest driver now in F1 and the target is to continue to find new levels, new heights and raise the bar."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Anthony, 16/12/2019 20:49

"Haha. Yes if it was dependent on the votes on the night how did Lewis get the trophy on the spot! "

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2. Posted by Mambo, 16/12/2019 19:03

"Well, jcr, perhaps he wasn't there because he already knew he hadn't won.

I've long been suspicious of the Beeb's Sports Personality voting system – the actual voting figures are kept secret and even though it was only minutes after voting closed, somehow Lewis' dad had the trophy for second place to hand over to our hero.

And what if the BBC hadn't given up the tele rights to GP racing? Would the result have been different? Would Mercedes have won the team prize?"

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3. Posted by jcr, 16/12/2019 13:10

"Was anybody surprised He was,nt there. not a big enough occasion."

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Hamilton seeks to raise the bar

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