Inside Lewis Hamilton’s close bond with brother Nicolas – including £70k gift before tragic slide into debt & addiction
GROWING up in the shadow of a world-famous sibling cannot be easy – least of all when that person is Lewis Hamilton.
But according to his half-brother Nicolas, 32, the seven-world Formula 1 champion has supported him and his career at every turn… except for financially.
Recently, the 32-year-old hit out at claims his career in the British Touring Car Championships (BTCC) was being “bankrolled” by Lewis, who is reportedly worth £270million.
Nicolas also spoke out about developing an “all-consuming” gambling addiction in 2017 that lost him thousands of pounds and left him feeling suicidal.
To pay off his debts, he was forced to sell his “pride and joy” – a midnight blue Mercedes C63 gifted to him on his 24th birthday by Lewis.
Nicolas, who told The Times “gambling is no longer an issue” last week, has faced many struggles throughout his life.
And it’s been his brother Lewis who has helped him to overcome many of the obstacles, as we reveal.
‘Didn’t treat me differently’
At 18 months old, Nicolas was diagnosed with spastic diplegia – a form of cerebral palsy that affects his balance and movement.
Doctors predicted he would never be able to run or walk but today, the 32-year-old can walk unaided and no longer uses his wheelchair.
His many achievements include becoming the first disabled racer to compete against able-bodied racers at the BTCC in 2015 and achieving a career-best at Donnington Park last year.
Nicolas believes Lewis played a part in him becoming the person his it today and much of his sibling’s help dates back to their childhood.
While most brothers often bicker, fight and have a friendly rivalry that wasn’t the case for the Hamilton brothers – instead, the youngster felt encouraged by Lewis.
He recalled: “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.
“It has never been ‘I want to be better than him, bigger than him’, and I don’t think he ever wanted to be bigger or better than me.”
Bully plan
Nicolas’s school years weren’t easy. He recalled bullies regularly “taking the mick” out of how he walked and mocking him for being in a wheelchair.
He told the Independent: “Kids did not want to be my friend. I was getting pulled back in my wheelchair and wasn’t able to fend for myself”.
On In The Pink podcast, Nicolas said it was Lewis – who took up martial arts after being bullied at school himself – who came up with a plan to help.
He recalled: “[Lewis] said, ‘If people are laughing at this wheelchair that you’re in, then why don’t we make it cool and do some cool things in it?’
“He taught me how to do wheelies and stuff in the wheelchair, and I almost became like a Tony Hawk skateboarder in my wheelchair.
“I started jumping stairs and trying to be cool. That helped me through it. It was a character-building moment, so I’m glad I went through it.”
‘Planted seed’
Nicolas spent “every weekend” travelling with his family to watch Lewis’s races around the UK and Europe when he was younger.
“I became a real racing nerd,” he admitted. “I knew all the drivers and talked about karting all the time.”
It seems spending so much time in the motorsport world rubbed off on Nicolas and would help to shape his future career.
He taught me how to do wheelies and stuff in the wheelchair, and I almost became like a Tony Hawk skateboarder in my wheelchair.
Nicolas Hamilton
Lewis encouraged Nicolas to go into racing at 18 after spotting how naturally talented he was on a simulator.
Nicolas told The Times: “Lewis could see that I was good on a simulator. He planted the seed in my mind.”
By then Nicolas had stopped using his wheelchair after spending time strength training so he could walk unaided.
In 2011, he made his racing debut at the Renault Clio Cup in a modified car. But that year – had it not been for his sibling – could have been his last in motorsport.
While competing on the Thruxton Circuit, in Hampshire, known for being the fastest in the UK, he had a terrifying crash.
Nicolas lost control of his vehicle and struck a tyre barrier at 100mph. He was knocked out by the collision and had to be pulled out of his smoking vehicle by a marshal.
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.
Nicolas
Many would have lost their nerve after such a terrifying incident but not Nicolas, who four years later became the first disabled driver to compete in the BTCC.
He revealed it was his brother’s wise words that kept him racing. After the crash, Lewis advised him to take the corner again “as fast as he could as if nothing had happened”.
Sports car gift
Currently, Nicolas is on a break from the BTCC while trying “to find half a million pounds” to fund his racing career.
For now, he is working as a developer for driving games and a motivational speaker.
He explained Lewis has been supportive of his racing dreams but has “never put a penny into my motorsport”.
I don’t go to his races anymore. I haven’t for a long time… To see Lewis I would have to take a lot of time away from my life.
Nicolas
In Nicolas’s memoir, Now That I Have Your Attention, he wrote: “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.”
While Nicolas says his brother hasn’t financed his career in any way, he has splashed out on his sibling.
For his 24th birthday, Lewis gifted him a midnight blue C63 Mercedes – thought to be worth around £70,000.
Nicolas recalls: “We went out to the car park and he said, ‘Wow, look at that car, that’s so cool.’ It was a midnight blue C63 Mercedes.
“I think I described it as ‘amazing’ and then he held out the key and said, ‘Happy birthday.’ I was gobsmacked. I remember him saying, ‘It’s insured, it’s ready to go, just drive it home.’”
The gift was Nicolas’s “pride and joy” but in 2017, he was forced to sell it to pay off a tax bill that he couldn’t afford due to blowing thousands of pounds on gambling.
‘No1 fan’
In recent years, Nicolas has admitted he has been unable to follow his brother as he races around the world but remains his “No1 fan”.
He said: “I don’t go to his races anymore. I haven’t for a long time… To see Lewis I would have to take a lot of time away from my life.”
In 2020, when Lewis secured his 92nd career win, which surpassed the record of legendary racer Michael Schumacher, his sibling gushed with pride online.
He wrote: “Although I was not there, I live your emotions with an immense amount of pride! I am speechless, but always knew you had it in you.
“I’m so grateful to have you as my brother… Here is to many more victories to put that record out of reach! Love always, your number 1 fan.”
The siblings regularly share throwback photographs celebrating each other’s achievements – often with the hashtag #HamBrothers, in reference to their surname.
Undercover spectator
When Lewis isn’t on the racetrack, he has sneaked in trips to watch his sibling race but chooses to keep a low profile.
The F1 champion has been known to cover up to avoid diverting attention from his sibling’s achievements.
Last year, when Nicolas achieved a personal best finishing sixth at Donnington Park, Lewis was watching from the sidelines in a long black coat with his hood up, a hat and a dark facemask.
Gushing with pride, Lewis later said: “He got sixth in the race and I was just standing in the crowd just watching as a fan. I was so excited!
“And no one knew that I was there actually, I was just jumping up and down trying to support him.”
Lewis was unable to spend time with his brother in the pitlanes after the race but fuelled his confidence in a touching call afterwards.
WHO COULD REPLACE HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?
Mercedes will have a vacant seat for 2025.
Here, SunSport’s F1 correspondent Ben Hunt looks at FIVE potential candidates who could replace him and partner George Russell in the Silver Arrows.
Oscar Piastri – McLaren have sewn up Lando Norris to a new long-term contract that should (in theory) put him out of Mercedes’ reach. However, they are yet to tie down his teammate Piastri, 22. The Aussie has an excellent record and won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before spending a year on the sidelines with Alpine and getting his chance in F1 with McLaren. He impressed on his debut season last year and has the potential to be a world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo – The experienced driver’s future remains in doubt as he bides his time at Red Bull’s B-team. Ricciardo would be low-hassle and offer some stability but by that time he would be 35. It seems unlikely that they would opt for him at this point in his career, but if he has a good season this year, he could come into the reckoning.
Kimi Antonelli – You may not have heard of the Italian, but he is mustard. Still only 17, he has won at all the junior categories and has been part of the Mercedes young driver programme since 2019. This season he has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he has been tipped to shine. A good debut season in F2 could sway Mercedes into taking a risk on him for 2025. Antonelli and his family are close to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Mick Schumacher – Wolff has always been so incredibly supportive of Schumacher and spoken highly of him, that you’d at least expect him to come into consideration. He knows the team from his role as reserve driver and consequently would get up to speed. But speed is also the problem. He was shocking at Haas and if he really was THAT good, he’d still be driving in F1.
Alex Albon – A more-sensible choice would be the London-born Albon. A great guy who is also very quick. He has a fantastic relationship with Russell and would be the low-maintenance quick partnership similar to Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas that swept to successive titles. Albon would take little convincing to join from Williams and Mercedes would not need to pay him half of the £50million they were dishing out to Hamilton.
Nicolas recalled: “He was like, ‘You drove f***ing amazing’ and for him to say that to me, it means so much.
“After all these years of me watching him from the sidelines, him having success and that sort of stuff, now he’s watching me. It’s full circle.”
Lewis regularly says how “incredibly proud” he is of his brother, who he lists as his inspiration, and praises him for being “such a great voice” for those with cerebral palsy.
The F1 champ said: “He’s obviously racing in a series and a sport where there is not a lot of access… there is no access for people who particularly are disabled. And he stands for so much.
“It’s been difficult – he’s been fighting to try and make up for the disability he has with his legs and it’s a continuous fight.”
And the feeling is mutual, with Nicolas saying: “I could talk about him forever because my life has revolved around him – but not through hateful eyes, just pure pride. I’m his biggest fan.”
Nicolas Hamilton’s memoir, Now That I Have Your Attention: 7 Lessons In Leading A Life Bigger Than They Expect, is out now.