The 29 year-old Formula 1 driver from Stevenage was voted the BBS SPOTY 2014; in 2014 Hamilton won his second Formula 1 World title in the year and total of 11 grands prix for Mercedes. He joined an elite group of only four British drivers to have won the Formula 1 driver's championship multiple times. Out of 10 nominees for the BBC SPOTY 2014, Hamilton won the award by obtaining a staggering 34% of the public vote.

Second place went to Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, 25, who had a stellar year winning back-to-back majors in the summer. Rory won 20% of the public vote.

Jo Pavey, 41, was in third with 16% of the votes. Pavey was the oldest female athlete to win a European Gold at the Europeans Championships in Zurich this year.

Hamilton could barely believe that he won, after being convinced that Rory McIlroy was going to receive the prestigious accolade. He had finished runner-up before in 2007 and 2008 to Joe Calzaghe and Chris Hoy respectively.

Hamilton was presented the trophy at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, by former Liverpool and Scotland football player Kenny Dalglish, and his name was announced by England's 2003 World Cup winning hero Jonny Wilkinson in front of a sell out audience of 12,000 people.

The SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow was the venue for the night, the same arena which hosted the gymnastics, boxing and netball at last summer's Commonwealth Games.

On the night, Hamilton was not accompanied by Nicole Scherzinger, his girlfriend of seven years, but by his bulldog Roscoe, who was the focus of much of the photographers.

Young SPOTY 2014 went to Claudia Fragapane, 17 year old from Bristol, who won four gold medals in Gymnastics at the Commonwealth games for the first time since 1930, in Glasgow last summer.

The other award winner was real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the Overseas SPOTY 2014, after winning the Ballon D'Or and helping Real Madrid to their 10th Champions league trophy.

The England's Women Rugby World Cup winners were presented by the Team award.