Nicolas Hamilton – younger brother of F1 legend Sir Lewis Hamilton – has announced he is making a stunning return to motor racing.
The 33-year-old, who has cerebal palsy, had competed full-time in the British Touring Car Championship since 2019 but stopped racing part way through the 2023 season.
With the new BTCC campaign beginning in April, it was thought that Hamilton’s 20-month sabbatical would be extended.
But over the weekend it was announced that he would be driving a modified Cupra Leon for Un-Limited Motorsports, with the team expanding to three cars in 2025.
While not the most successful driver in terms of result, with one sixth-place being his career best finish, Hamilton has been an inspiration to disabled fans across the world.
Born two months prematurely, Nicolas spent the first six weeks of his life in intensive care and was diagnosed with spastic diplegia at 18 months old, with doctors predicting he would never be able to walk or run.
‘To be brutally honest, I wasn’t planning to race this year. We didn’t even know that I’d ever get back on the BTCC grid,’ the Stevenage-born driver told Autosport.
‘I want to make the world realise that motorsport is inclusive, that disabled people should be proud, and that motorsport can accept them. You don’t necessarily have to be a racing driver to be a part of the industry.
‘A lot of people just take pictures next to their car and say that they’re back racing. This year I really wanted to use my platform to help inspire the industry to bring more disabled people into the sport.’
While Nicolas gears up for his return to the track, brother Lewis will be aiming to win his first Formula 1 grand prix for Ferrari in Japan in this weekend.
The siblings have been incredibly supportive of each other throughout their careers, with Lewis notably going incognito to watch Nicolas race at Donnington Park in 2023.
‘My brother, who I’m incredibly proud of, continues to be such a great voice,’ Lewis said at the time.
‘Every year he raises his own money [to go racing]. 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. Very proud and excited.’
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