Luke Littler picks his SPOTY winner: “Definitely Lando”
Luke Littler might be the phenomenon of the oche, but when it comes to BBC Sports Personality of the Year, he’s throwing his support squarely behind a new king of the grid.
Fresh off a first-round win at Alexandra Palace, the darts world number one was asked about his own chances at SPOTY. He shook his head and grinned. “No, I don’t think so,” he said. “But if I would have to give my winner, definitely Lando.”
Hard to argue. Lando Norris has spent the week doing what freshly minted World Champions do: celebrating deep into an Abu Dhabi night, then hopping back into the car for Pirelli tyre testing, and lining up a tux for the FIA Prize Giving Gala. The McLaren driver is one of six SPOTY nominees this year, and the case for him is obvious even beyond the orange-tinted fanbase.
Littler’s nod to Norris isn’t coming out of the blue either. The pair first crossed paths publicly during the 2024 British Grand Prix weekend, when Littler turned the Silverstone paddock into a makeshift oche and schooled a few drivers in the finer points of tungsten warfare. The crossover played well: two prodigies, two big stages, the sort of British sporting mash-up that SPOTY voters tend to remember.
Formula 1 has long had a grip on SPOTY. It’s the second-most decorated sport in the award’s 70-year history, trailing only athletics. Lewis Hamilton is the most recent F1 winner, taking his second crown in 2020 after matching Michael Schumacher’s tally of seven World Championships. Since then, the trophy has drifted elsewhere — Emma Raducanu’s fairytale, back-to-back triumphs for England’s Lionesses in Beth Mead and Mary Earps, and last year’s nod to Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson.
This year’s shortlist is a tidy snapshot of Britain’s sporting breadth: Norris, Littler, golf’s Rory McIlroy, England rugby star Ellie Kildunne, and England footballers Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly. It’ll be settled the usual way — by the public, live on the night — when the BBC rolls out the ceremony on Thursday, 18 December.
Littler, who finished runner-up at the Worlds in 2024 and has since risen to the top of the rankings, was diplomatic about his own place in the race. But his call on Norris carries weight. SPOTY can lean to achievement plus narrative, and Norris’s year has both in spades: the breakthrough title, the consistency under pressure, the sense that McLaren have hauled themselves back to the sport’s sharp end with a driver who’s matured into the role without losing the spark that made him a fan favourite.
There’s also the simple reality of timing. Norris has been everywhere this week — the podium, the paddock, the tests, the gala circuit — and momentum never hurts when voters are asked to make up their minds in an instant.
Whether that translates into another F1 name on the SPOTY roll call is the only unknown left. But when a 17-year-old darts sensation who’s been carrying his own sport on primetime shoulders says “definitely Lando,” you suspect a fair chunk of the British public might feel the same way.
The shortlist
– Lando Norris (Formula 1)
– Luke Littler (Darts)
– Rory McIlroy (Golf)
– Ellie Kildunne (Rugby union)
– Hannah Hampton (Football)
– Chloe Kelly (Football)
SPOTY airs on Thursday, 18 December, with voting open during the broadcast. Norris is due to collect the Drivers’ Championship trophy at the FIA Prize Giving Gala on Friday night. If the past week is any guide, McLaren’s celebration playlist might need a fresh encore.
