Lewis Hamilton celebrates his kid brother after brilliant racing first: 'He proved them wrong'

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton celebrates his kid brother after brilliant racing first: 'He proved them wrong'

Lewis and Nicolas were both on the podium last weekend

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 26 May 2026 13:57

As F1 legend Lewis Hamilton stood on an F1 podium for the 204th time last weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix, his brother was also receiving a trophy on the podium a few thousand miles away in the English village of Snetterton. It was the best of times.

34-year-old Nicolas Hamilton races in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and has been a trailblazer in motorsport for many years, after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child.

The Hamilton brothers share a close relationship, and Lewis used to often be seen pushing Nicolas around the F1 paddock in his wheelchair when they were both youngsters.

Article continues under video

Nicolas Hamilton drives a specially-modified car in the BTCC for Team VERTU and last weekend stood on the podium at Snetterton just outside of Norwich as the winner of the Jack Sears Trophy.

This trophy is handed out to the best-performing driver throughout the weekend who has not before stood on the podium. Nicolas performed brilliantly well all weekend in one of his best BTCC weekends to date, and finished 17th in race one before claiming 16th in races two and three at the circuit,

Now, his seven-time F1 world champion brother has taken to Instagram to celebrate his younger brother's achievement.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates Nicolas achievement

"I could not be more proud of my brother Nicolas Hamilton," Lewis said. "Seeing the passion and emotion on his face as he stood on his first podium was such a beautiful moment.

"For us both to be on podiums on the same day was a major. I called him the second the race ended.

"Motorsport is not built to be inclusive. There is little to no access for people with disabilities, and no support systems to level the playing field. This is something so many take for granted. Despite that, despite the barriers and the people who told him it wasn’t possible, he never stopped. He fought. He adapted. He proved them wrong.

"While he will always be my kid brother, I am profoundly proud of the leader, the athlete, and the man he has become. He inspires me just as much as he inspires everyone watching his journey. No matter how hard it has been he has never given up. What he’s achieved is massive and I’m so happy for him. Love you bro, keep going."

Nicolas Hamilton's journey to BTCC

Nicolas is the paternal half brother of Lewis, and despite having been told as a child that he may not ever walk, he started his race career back in 2011 as a 19-year-old.

He raced in the Renault Clio Cup for two seasons, and also raced in the ERDF Masters Kart series at the same time, with his early racing career documented by a BBC documentary titled Racing with the Hamiltons: Nic in the Driving Seat.

In 2013, Nicolas graduated up into the European Touring Car Cup, and it wasn't long before he was on the BTCC roster.

Hamilton made his BTCC debut in 2015, becoming the first disabled driver to compete in the series, but he has been a more regular racer in the series since 2019, with his best race finish coming at Donington Park in 2023 where he finished sixth in race two.

Hamilton's Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown folded midway through the 2023 season, leaving him without a seat for 2024. Still, Nicolas did not allow that setback to stop him and he went on to secure a seat for 2025 with Powder Monkey Brewing Co with Esidock. He now races with VERTU.

Trophy means so much for Nicolas Hamilton

In a post of his own on Instagram, Nicolas explained quite how much it meant to him to get a trophy in the series.

"Yesterday, I achieved my motorsport dream, to stand on a BTCC podium as the winner of the Jack Sears Trophy," the post read. "I am literally lost for words. This year I set my goal on winning a trophy, it’s all I have ever wanted. To see what it felt like to walk up the podium stairs, which is a challenge in itself and hold my trophy high in the air and it felt even better than I could have ever of imagined.

"From a boy in his wheelchair, told he may never walk, to walking onto the podium in the BTCC. I have worked my whole life for this moment. 18 years from when I decided to get out of my wheelchair and set my goal of being a racing driver. This moment means more than I could ever explain.

"Thank you to absolutely everyone, all of those who have been a part of and are still a part of my journey, my sponsors, my team, my family, friends & even my doubters, you have all got me to this point and I am forever grateful, this is your trophy too!"

LEWIS HAMILTON: Career record with every pole, win and title

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

View full biography

F1 Lewis Hamilton Nicolas Hamilton