In the few impossibly exciting seconds that it took for Lewis Hamilton to both lose and then win the world drivers' championship in Sao Paulo, a few other British sporting heroes may have felt another coveted prize was being prised from their grasp.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award has become the gong which our top sportsmen and women no longer feel shy about admitting that they really want to win and Hamilton's triumph puts him in pole position to snatch the accolade next month from any number of deserving Olympians.

Only the other week, Chris Hoy told me: "I don't think it's perceived any more to be uncool to say that you'd really like to win it. Of course, I would. But I'm realistic about it in a sport that's not mainstream, your chances are limited when there are great contenders like Lewis Hamilton."

Remember that he said this before both the drama of Hamilton's win, watched by 13 million back home, and the iconic nature of his success as the youngest man and also first black driver to win the F1 crown elevated that profile to striking new heights. So Hoy's probably right that the public vote before the 14 December BBC show will now ensure the award goes to a British driver for the seventh time.

Yet should it? It is typical of cyclist Hoy's self-effacing nature that he says he is happy just to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Hamilton and Andy Murray but if you can't win the award in a year when you've just become the first Briton in a century to win three Olympic gold medals, then what on earth do you have to do?

Rebecca Adlington, the most successful British swimmer in 100 years, cyclist Bradley Wiggins, who equalled Sir Steve Redgrave's all-time British record of six Olympic medals, and Rebecca Romero, the sculler-turned-golden pursuiter who became the only Briton ever to win medals in two different sports, could ask the same. It may turn out to be the Beijing heroes' misfortune to have performed so dazzlingly in a year loaded with so many worthy candidates like Christine Ohuruogu, Joe Calzaghe, Ben Ainslie, Nicole Cooke and Victoria Pendleton. Only a couple of years ago, the list was so thin that it was probably Zara Phillips's royal celebrity status more than her world eventing triumph which guaranteed her victory.

Murray's wonderful breakthrough, sealed by his epic US Open semi-final slaying of world No1 Rafael Nadal, would have made him a banker for the award in other years but now even if he was to lift the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, it probably wouldn't be enough. Nor would it even if the BBC were to suddenly decree double Major winner Padraig Harrington to be a contender in the way they once allowed another Irishman Barry McGuigan to win the 1985 edition.

For Hamilton has not been made an odds-on favourite for nothing. His achievement at 23 in just his second season has identified him as one of sport's most dramatic figures.

As for the 'Personality' part of the award, nobody ever took much notice of that or Nigel Mansell would never have won it once, let alone twice and it's still fair to say Hamilton demonstrates his personality in his driving.

Murray for his part has already conceded the title to Hamilton and feels that he deserves it for the manner of his world title triumph on Sunday.

He said yesterday: "I watched the final grand prix from Brazil and it was amazing. It has been a great year for so many sportsmen and women and Lewis's achievement is very special.

"If Joe Calzaghe remains unbeaten that would be amazing but it would only be his second fight this year while Lewis has been racing all year."

My personal hope is that this year's accolade goes to Hoy, not only for his triple in Beijing and his double world championship triumph in Manchester but also for the winning sportsmanship and humility he shows.

Only once before has a cyclist won this award, back in 1965 when the great British public appeared to rate English cyclist Tommy Simpson's world road race triumph more highly than Scotsman Jim Clark's world F1 drivers' title success. Forty three years on in another Anglo-Scottish contest, what price on two wheels conquering four again?