Lewis Hamilton taught his brother how to fight back against bullies after Nicholas was targeted for being in wheelchair
NICOLAS HAMILTON has spoken of how his Formula 1 star brother Lewis taught him to stand up to bullies as a child.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy from an early age, 28-year-old Nicolas spent much of his childhood in a wheelchair.
That attracted unwanted attention from bullies and he has revealed how Lewis helped him turn the disability into a positive aspect of his personality.
Nicolas told F1 journalist Natalie Pinkham’s In The Pink podcast: “It was actually my brother that I went to when I first started struggling.
“I said, ‘Lewis, what do I do? I’ve got these kids now just taking the mick out of me being in a wheelchair’.
“His answer was that I just need to continue to be myself. He said, ‘if people are laughing at this wheelchair that you’re in, then why don’t we make it cool and do some cool things in it?’
“He taught me how to do wheelies and stuff in the wheelchair, and I almost became like a Tony Hawk skateboarder in my wheelchair, I started jumping stairs and trying to be cool. That helped me through it.
“It was a character-building moment, so I’m glad I went through it.”
Nicolas no longer needs a wheelchair and has forged a racing career of his own on the Touring Car circuit – utilising unique controls in the cockpit.
And he paid tribute to his parents for building a strong mentality across the family, with dad Anthony also seen with Lewis in the F1 paddock during the early years of the six-time world champion’s career.
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Nicolas added: “My parents are hard nuts. Especially my dad.
“He never wanted me to struggle and he always wanted me to fight my own battles. He would never give me the easy option or the easy route.
“The same with my mum. It was already building my mental strength up around my condition. So bullying was small-fry on that occasion.”