Lewis Hamilton is very close to his paternal half-brother Nicolas Hamilton and the two share a great bond – but what disability does his brother have?
Nicolas Hamilton is a British professional racing driver, who currently competes in the British Touring Car Championship. He is a paternal half-brother of seven-time F1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton and is often spotted during F1 races, cheering for his elder brother. Nicolas was born with cerebral palsy and races with a specially changed car.
Nicolas was born with cerebral palsy and when he was 18 months old, his family was told that he wouldn’t be able to walk. Cerebral palsy is a disorder characterised by poor co-ordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles and tremors. It is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture.
Despite all the hardships, Nicolas has carved out a career in professional racing for himself. At the age of 19, Nicolas made his racing debut in the Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom in 2011 driving for Total Control Racing. He has now been active in the professional racing circuit for more than a decade.
Nicolas Hamilton could fulfil his dream of being an F1 driver, through a simulated experience thanks to his brother Lewis and his team Mercedes. After receiving a request from Lewis Hamilton himself, the Mercedes team made the necessary modifications in a simulator so that Hamilton’s brother could feel the sensation of driving an F1 car. It was an incredibly kind gesture from the Formula One team.
Lewis Hamilton thanked his team on social media, for making it happen. He wrote: “Earlier this year @nicolashamilton and I asked my team if we could make this day happen and here, we are. Time in the sim is incredibly rare, and not something that is accessible for someone like my brother.” “It took custom modifications to the seat, steering wheel and pedals to make this possible. He spent the whole day in it and is the first disabled person to ever do so. He’s always been a fighter and seeing him have this day is an honour”, he added.
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