Nicolas Hamilton wants to be more than 'Lewis' brother': 'Own identity'
F1 News
Although Nicolas Hamilton says he is Lewis Hamilton's biggest fan, he admits it is sometimes annoying that people do not see his own identity. He therefore stresses that he is more than just "Lewis' brother".
Nicolas Hamilton wants to be more than 'Lewis's brother'
Lewis is not the only driver in the Hamilton family: Nicolas is also active as a driver and competes in the British Touring Car Championship. The 32-year-old Briton, who has cerebral palsy, also acts as a motivational speaker. He therefore regrets that he gets less recognition for that than purely being 'the brother of'.
"I’m Lewis’ number one fan for sure," he began in talking to Sky News. "It can be a little bit annoying when everybody just relates me to him and calls me ‘Lewis Hamilton’s brother’. I’m definitely my own person, I have my own identity, have my own story and I’m not trying to compete against Lewis."
He continued: "My part in life is to try and use what I’ve gone through in my life to inspire able-bodied and disabled people, parents of disabled children, but also just general humans that struggle for everyday purpose because there’s a lot of us that do. And yes I’m related to Lewis, but also have my own identity."
Hamilton: 'I'm basically a Paralympian at the Olympics'
Nicolas compares his situation to that of a Paralympian competing against an Olympian, as he is racing against drivers who do not need adaptations. "I can’t flex my ankles and a lot of racing drivers flex their ankles to accelerate and brake. So I have modifications in the car, which is a hand clutch on the steering wheel and then I have two pedals instead of three, so I have the accelerator and the brake," he explains.
"And yes, I’ve just got to keep myself fit and train myself to be almost like an able-bodied driver, because I’m basically a Paralympian in the Olympics racing against able-bodied people," Nicolas concluded.