Lewis Hamilton is the clear favourite to win Sports Personality of the Year, but is that a good thing for the F1 superstar? It certainly looks a good bet!
OddsMonkey has looked back through the records, and in the last ten years 70% of the pre-show favourites have gone on to win. However, huge upsets have occurred, you only need to look back to 2017.
In 2017 Anthony Joshua was also 1/10 to win, he was 1/100 to finish top-three, and during the show as the top-three were about to be confirmed he odds were as short as 1/50 – yet he did not win, he did not finish top-three in what was one of the biggest upsets in sporting betting history.
| Sports Personality of the Year | Winner | Runner-up | Third | Pre-show Favourite |
| 2010 | Tony McCoy | Phil Taylor | Jessica Ennis | Tony McCoy |
| 2011 | Mark Cavendish | Darren Clarke | Mo Farah | Mark Cavendish |
| 2012 | Bradley Wiggins | Jessica Ennis | Andy Murray | Bradley Wiggins |
| 2013 | Andy Murray | Leigh Halfpenny | Tony McCoy | Andy Murray |
| 2014 | Lewis Hamilton | Rory McIlroy | Jo Pavey | Rory McIlroy |
| 2015 | Andy Murray | Kevin Sinfield | Jessica Ennis-Hill | Andy Murray |
| 2016 | Andy Murray | Alistair Brownlee | Nick Skelton | Andy Murray |
| 2017 | Mo Farah | Jonathan Rea | Jonnie Peacock | Anthony Joshua |
| 2018 | Geraint Thomas | Lewis Hamilton | Harry Kane | Harry Kane |
| 2019 | Ben Stokes | Lewis Hamilton | Dina Asher-Smith | Ben Stokes |
Lewis Hamilton comes in as huge favourite, after recently becoming the most successful F1 driver of all time, overtaking the legendary Michael Schumacher.
OdddsMonkey spokesman Peter Watton commented: “Sports Personality of the Year actually has a history of throwing up the odd shock, but generally the favorites come out on top and Lewis looks a very safe bet this year.
“The only person that can possibly stop him is Marcus Rashford. He has been actively campaigning for free school meals in recent weeks but after being the early favourite for the award his odds have started to drift with the revelation that the SPOTY winner must have had significant sporting achievements to make the shortlist. ”
Sports Personality Of The Year Winner Odds
Lewis Hamilton: 10/11
Marcus Rashford: 2/1
Tyson Fury: 6/1
Ronnie O’Sullivan: 9/1
Hollie Doyle: 33/1
James Anderson: 40/1
