What disability does Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nicolas suffer from?

Lewis Hamilton's brother Nicolas suffers from Cerebral Palsy. But that isn't stopping the Briton from driving really fast around tracks. The paternal half-brother of the seven-time world champion is part of the British Touring Car Championship.

Nicolas, aged 23, suffers from a form of Cerebral Palsy known as Spastic Diplegia. It's a neurological disorder that appears during childhood due to injury or malformation in a developing brain. It permanently damages some parts of the body, including the nervous system – legs, arms, and hands in Nic’s case. It thus results in loss of body movement control and causes impaired reflexes.

This chronic disorder can be caused before, during, or after birth and doesn’t worsen throughout one's life. But due to excessive pain at times and difficulty in walking, Hamilton needs a wheelchair for support.

In 2011, he started his racing career by participating in the Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom, driving for Total Control Racing. Although he finished last in his debut race, he garnered significant fan and media attention. The BBC produced a documentary about his first season titled "Racing with the Hamiltons: Nic in the Driving Seat."

Lewis Hamilton gave his brother a small taste of what it's like to drive an F1 car by getting him a chance to drive the Mercedes simulator.

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Lewis Hamilton's timeline on when Mercedes could catch up to Red Bull

According to Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes will need the remainder of the year to catch up to Red Bull.

Although the team has had a mixed season so far, with Hamilton finishing second in the 2023 Australian GP, they have been outperformed by Red Bull and other competitors this year.

During the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the RB19 was up to a second faster per lap in race configuration, overshadowing Mercedes and their rivals.

Despite a slight reduction in Max Verstappen's lead in Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton's true performance in Australia, where he finished in second place, was not an accurate reflection due to two red flag stoppages. Consequently, Hamilton believes that it will take a considerable amount of time for his team to close the gap on the Bulls, who have won all races in 2023 so far.

As per Motorsport-Total, the former world champion said:

“We have to make sure to implement changes. I just hope this task doesn’t prove too big. It will certainly take the rest of the year to possibly close the gap. It can take a long time to catch another car. I’m aware of that. And the Red Bull is very likely to be developed further.”

With most of the season yet to go, the Briton can keep his head high in hopes of better results in the future.