In a whirlwind year that's had sports fans on the edge of their seats, McLaren's Lando Norris is revving up for more accolades.
Fresh off sealing his maiden Formula 1 world championship, the McLaren star now finds himself in contention for one of Britain’s most beloved sporting honours – the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
Norris is one of six nominees unveiled by the BBC, joining England footballers Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly, rugby union standout Ellie Kildunne, teenage darts sensation Luke Littler, and golfing titan Rory McIlroy.
It’s a diverse shortlist born from what BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski called “a breathtaking year for sport.”
“This has been a breathtaking year for sport, driven by athletes whose performances belong in the history books,” commented BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski
“Each one has delivered moments of pure brilliance that have defined 2025. It's been incredible to watch, and I can't wait to honour their achievements, and to see who the nation chooses as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025.”
Norris certainly fits the brief for brilliance. He wrapped up the championship with a measured third-place finish at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, slotting in behind Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
The result secured him the points he needed to become the 11th British F1 world champion and the 35th title-winner in F1 history. For a driver once regarded as a prodigious talent in waiting, 2025 became the year he finally stepped into the role of Britain’s newest motorsport superstar.
The BBC’s SPOTY has been a staple of British sporting culture since 1954, with the public choosing its winner live during a televised ceremony. Over the decades, the award has evolved into a nationwide barometer of athletic affection – equal parts celebration, nostalgia trip, and cultural snapshot of the year’s sporting highs.
Motorsport figures have historically made a strong impression. Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, and Nigel Mansell all claimed the award during their careers, while Damon Hill and Lewis Hamilton each won it twice – with Hamilton’s second coming in 2020 during his record-equalling seventh F1 title campaign.
Yet despite the UK’s rich F1 lineage, victories for racing drivers remain relatively rare, making Norris’s nomination both significant and timely.
With F1 enjoying surging popularity in Britain and Norris having cultivated a particularly devoted fanbase — thanks to his combination of on-track composure and off-track charisma — his appearance on the shortlist feels almost inevitable. But winning? That will come down to the British public during the live broadcast on Thursday 18 December, when voting opens.
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