Lewis Hamilton has revealed it is unlikely he will attend the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, despite being among the frontrunners to win the prize.
Hamilton, 33, is expected to be on the six-person shortlist which, for the first time, will be announced during the live show that this year takes place at the Genting Arena in Birmingham on December 16.
The Mercedes star, back in action at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix a fortnight after securing his fifth world title, is third favourite with the bookmakers, behind Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas and England captain Harry Kane, to win the public vote.
But when asked if he will attend the annual prize-giving ceremony, Hamilton replied: “It is most unlikely.”
Hamilton, who beat Rory McIlroy to the award in 2014 and was a runner-up in 2007 and 2008, but finished only sixth last year, will instead be at his winter training camp in Colorado.
Sir Mo Farah won the 2017 vote ahead of World Superbike champion, Jonathan Rea, while para-athlete Jonnie Peacock completed an unlikely top three.
“I remember standing up there in 2014 and I was really blown away because the public had called in and supported me,” Hamilton, second fastest in practice at Interlagos on Friday, added. “But receiving an award in front of all those people is not really something I like. I avoid it if I can.
“It is awkward for me. Even when I am at the team factory, and in front of all the staff, it is not a comfortable place for me.
“It is that time of year where the season is over for me, and if I can get away, I am gone.”
Hamilton has out-performed his Mercedes machinery this year to beat Ferrari’s Vettel to the title with two rounds to spare.
Indeed, the Englishman’s only championship defeat in the last five years has come via his long-standing rival Nico Rosberg. The German retired from the sport five days later.
By then, Hamilton’s relationship with Rosberg was in tatters, but the Brit insists they are now on better terms.
The former Mercedes team-mates live in the same Monte Carlo apartment block, and Hamilton revealed: “I saw him at my building’s pool months ago when I was having lunch there. I went to sit with him and his kid sat on my lap.
“There is nothing to patch up. There are no issues. Growing up as kids on the road, it was different. He was the only one I was talking to and we stayed in the same room.
“While it is never going to be like that again we can respect each other, and it is good to see that the respect is there.”
ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Philip Duncan, Press Association Sport F1 Correspondent, Interlagos');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '3bb1936f-e3dd-4371-9f5d-3689e116fa0d');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:auto,sport:f1,sport:other');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Lewis Hamilton unlikely to attend SPOTY ceremony'});
