Seven years younger than his stepbrother Lewis Hamilton, Nicolas Hamilton he has not always had an easy life as he has had to cope with cerebral palsy. Due to this disability, he spent a lot of time in a wheelchair and was bullied when he entered college. Fortunately, he was able to count on the support of the now seven-time F1 world champion.
“I turned to my brother when I started having problems,” Nicolas Hamilton said on the podcast. In The Pink. “I said, ‘Lewis, what can I do? There are kids who laugh at me because I’m in a wheelchair.’ He said, ‘You just have to be yourself. If people make fun of your wheelchair, will you why don’t you make her pretty and do things with her? “
“She taught me how to do wheelies and other things in my wheelchair, I almost became skateboarder Tony Hawk with her. I started jumping off the steps and trying to be cool. That got me through it. It was a moment of character building. for me, so I’m glad I went through it. “
In his remarks leading up to the Mercedes driver’s seventh world title, Hamilton praised his brother’s achievements both from a sporting and social point of view.
Hamilton is an activist in the anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter, as well as the rights of other minorities.
“I don’t think he realizes how important he is to me. I’m very, very proud of him,” he continued. “When I see where he comes from, a poor black boy who doesn’t have many advantages, but who has become one of the most influential athletes in the world, means a lot to me. I still can’t believe it: who are we to have such an effect on people? We are a normal family. “
“I remember the go-kart days when kids wore Michael Schumacher’s helmet. When asked what they wanted to do when they grew up, they said they wanted to be the new Michael Schumacher. Now it’s’ I want to be the new Lewis Hamilton.” We see the helmets. from Lewis. Motorsports is more diverse, and I think it’s because of Lewis’s impact, “he adds.
“Everyone knows him, he does not hide what he thinks, and he went through a period where he said things and made mistakes. Now he is a person with his feet on the ground, he is very respectful. I am very proud of him, honestly” .
Nicolas Hamilton, meanwhile, has been competing in motorsport since 2011 despite his disability. Having long competed in the Renault Clio Cup UK, he now competes in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), where his best finish in 58 races was 15th at the wheel of an adapted car.