Lewis Hamilton has a larger family than you might think. His parents, Anthony Hamilton and Carmen Larbalestier, split up when he was two. His father remarried soon after and had a son, Nicolas Hamilton. Nicolas was born prematurely in 1992 and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler. However, this hasn’t stopped him from living a full life. Taking a page out of his F1 driver brother’s book, Nicolas has also pursued a career in racing.
When his brother was born, Lewis was thrilled. The Ferrari driver wrote in his autobiography, Lewis Hamilton: My Story, about praying for a brother and being grateful to have Nicolas in his life.
“I had prayed to have a brother and was so happy when he came into the world,” Lewis wrote. “It really meant a lot to me, in my childhood, to have a brother. And it still does.” [via People Magazine]
At 18 months old, Nicolas was diagnosed with spastic diplegia, a condition that affects his movement and balance. But ever since they were kids, Lewis has always treated his brother as an equal. Nicolas described playing basketball and foot racing with his future champion sibling when they were children. This was the start of how the Briton began inspiring his brother to excel despite his circumstances.
“We used to go outside and play basketball. He didn’t treat me any differently, so we would still run races, which I obviously wouldn’t win.”
“It never upset me, it actually spurred me on to either run faster or become more mobile. I don’t think that was his plan but it was the effect he had on me,” Nicolas said. [via The Sun]
Lewis Hamilton inspired his brother to become a racer
Famously, Lewis Hamilton started his racing career very early in his life. His paternal half-brother also accompanied him to the tracks in the UK and Europe. This was enough for Nicolas to join in his brother’s passion, admitting that his time spent on track also gave him the bug for racing as well.
“I became a real racing nerd,” Nicolas admitted. “I knew all the drivers and talked about karting all the time.”
Later on, when they had access to a simulator, the younger Hamilton also tried his hand at it. The former Mercedes driver was impressed and was able to recognize his talent.
“Lewis could see that I was good on a simulator. He planted the seed in my mind.”
In 2011, when he was 19-years-old, Nicolas made his racing debut at Renault Clio Cup UK, finishing his first season 14th in the standings. Four years later, he would join the British Touring Car Championship, becoming the first disabled driver to race in the championship. He drives a specially modified vehicle to account for his medical condition.
After only spending a season with the BTCC, he would head back to the Clio Cup, before joining ROKiT Racing with Motorbase for the 2019 BTCC season. He would stay with the championship for five years, and then he had to take a break to find funding to race. Which is surprising, given his brother is worth $450 million (€389 million). But Nicolas has stated that he doesn’t want any financial help from his superstar sibling.
“I know pretty much everyone presumes that Lewis bankrolls me in my motorsport career, that he pays for everything and provides endless opportunities because of his wealth and success in the sport, but it’s just not true; it is also something that I would never want or accept.” [via The Sun]
In 2025, Nicolas Hamilton returned to the BTCC, racing for the Powder Monkey Brewing Co. with the Esidock team.
