Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton SPOTY

[Malaguena]

Why should they change it just because you struggle to understand the definition of 'personality'?

Well one of us is struggling to understand the definition of personality, and it's not me

 

[MFP]

Well one of us is struggling to understand the definition of personality, and it's not me

It clearly is you though.

 

[HundredRoom]

David Beckham? Henry Cooper? Brendan Foster? Steve Ovett? I can only assume these were joke inclusions.

Well none of them needed a machine to be as good as what they were.

 

[MFP]

Well none of them needed a machine to be as good as what they were.

True. But I see no reason why that should be used against Hamilton, especially as you've actually included Surtees in your selection and Redgrave, who needed a boat.
Some of the people in your list are not even he best that Britain has in their respective sports, I can probably list 20 British footballers more successful than Beckham.
Hamilton's achievements in F1 warrants a place in the argument about success.

 

[JM14]

It wasn’t. Jenson button won the f1 world drivers championship in a car from a team that had to start from scratch at the start of the year, had no money to develop it and had the wrong fitting engine in it

It was still the significantly fastest car on the grid for at least the first half of that season

 

[SmallTown]

It was still the significantly fastest car on the grid for at least the first half of that season

Yes. That doesn’t make the rest untrue. The tram that was Honda was decimated when Honda pulled out. Brawn et al used all their (and some Mercedes) money just to set the team up so had no more for development. And the Merc engine was a different size to the Honda one so they had to make it fit. Not an ideal start when packaging is so important, to have your heaviest component not fit.

 

[HundredRoom]

True. But I see no reason why that should be used against Hamilton, especially as you've actually included Surtees in your selection and Redgrave, who needed a boat.
Some of the people in your list are not even he best that Britain has in their respective sports, I can probably list 20 British footballers more successful than Beckham.
Hamilton's achievements in F1 warrants a place in the argument about success.

I didn't actually put a great deal of thought in to that list. I just reeled them off the top of my head.
Theres doubtless many more that could be included as great British sportsmen/women

LH would make the list , just. But if motor racing were to be included Surtees is miles ahead.