Success Bash For Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain is sprayed with champagne by his team after his win in the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, south of Manama April 6, 2014 Reuters

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton will go up against some of the biggest names in sports for the 2015 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. It is the second time that Hamilton is selected for the prominent sports award ceremony, having been nominated back in 2009.

“Knowing how prestigious the Laureus Award is I feel very, very grateful and proud to be amongst the great athletes that have been nominated,” Hamilton was quoted saying in an article by the Daily Mail. “It’s great when you have these awards, which recognise excellence and the commitment from lots of different individuals, I’m proud to be amongst them.”

Hamilton, who won his second F1 World Driver’s Championship trophy last year, will challenge fellow Brit Rory McIlroy for the award. Other sports personalities nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award include World No. 1 Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Moto GP’s Marc Marquez.

Hamilton’s team Mercedes is also nominated for Laureus World Team of the Year. Mercedes ended the 2014 season strongly finishing atop the F1 leaderboard and winning 16 races. Mercedes’ drivers Hamilton and Nico Rosberg also claimed the top two spots last season. Mercedes will go up against the McIlroy’s European Ryder Gup team, Germany’s national football team, Real Madrid, National Basketball Association’s San Antonio Spurs and the Swiss Davis Cup team.

Aussie racing driver Daniel Ricciardo is also nominated for Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award. Other athletes nominated in the category include reigning U.S. Open tennis champion Marin Cilic, German footballer Mario Gotze, Colombian footballer James Rodriguez, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffin and the Swiss Davis Cup team spearheaded by Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. For the complete list of nominees, visit China.laureus.com.

A host of F1 racers have already been nominated for the main prize since its inception in 2000, including Fernando Alonso (2006-2007) and Kimi Raikkonen (2008). In 2014, Hamilton’s fellow F1 racer Sebastian Vettel won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award by defeating three-time winner Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, LeBron James, Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Vettel is the second F1 racer after Michael Schumacher to receive the award. Schumacher won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in 2002.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony that will be held in Shanghai on April 15, a few days before the Chinese Grand Prix (April 19). The host for the 2015 Laureus Awards is yet to be announced.

To give feedback or contact the author of this article, email r.corpuz@IBTimes.com.au

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