Grapevine: Hamilton beaten to Sports Personality

Lewis Hamilton was beaten to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award by triple Beijing Olympics gold medal winner Chris Hoy on Sunday night.

The Formula One world champion finished second for the second consecutive year for the prestigious trophy that is voted for by BBC viewers.

Hamilton had driven Hoy on some demonstration laps of Wembley stadium earlier in the day, as part of the build up to the Race of Champions.

A race between Hamilton in a Mercedes-Benz SLR and Hoy on a bicycle had had to be called off at the last minute because of poor weather conditions in London.

Hamilton seemed far from disappointed at the near miss, however, which comes at the end of a season where he became the youngest world champion in history.

Earlier in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show Hamilton had recounted the amazing final moments of the season, where he was able to clinch the championship with a penultimate corner move on Timo Glock.

"My heart was in my mouth," said Hamilton. "I think on those last couple of laps, my whole career and whole life flashed before my eyes. I came across the line and waited for the team to tell me if I had won it or lost it.

"When they told me all, these emotions came out. It was the proudest moment of my life."