Lewis Hamilton goes on undercover BTCC mission at Donington Park

Lewis Hamilton went undercover at Donington Park on Sunday as his younger brother secured his best-ever finish in the British Touring Car Championship.

On his last free weekend before the 2023 Formula 1 season resumes in Baku, Hamilton – along with father Anthony – was at a wet Donington to cheer on brother Nicolas, the first disabled driver to compete in the BTCC.

At the opening round of the season, Nicolas – who suffers from cerebral palsy and races a specially-modified car – finished sixth in the second of three races to score points for only the second time in his BTCC career.

In a series of posts on Instagram, seven-time World Champion Hamilton revealed he was there to see it, present in an all-black outfit and with his face concealed by a beanie hat and snood.

An image showed Hamilton watching from the outside of the Craner Curves section of the track, with a video also showing him observing proceedings from the outside of Coppice corner.

He also reposted a clip of his brother celebrating his P6 finish with his team in the pit lane.

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“I haven’t been to Donington in a long time,” Hamilton wrote.

“I was so excited to watch and support my brother there today as a normal spectator, felt really special.

“I’m so proud of you bro. 6th place today was such a special result and you truly deserve it. Keep pushing.”

Hamilton has long been a supporter of his brother’s racing activities and revealed last December that he had arranged for Nicolas to spend a day in Mercedes’ F1 simulator using a modified seat, steering wheel and pedals.

“Earlier this year Nicolas Hamilton and I asked my team if we could make this day happen and here we are.

“Time in the sim is incredibly rare, and not something that is accessible for someone like my brother. It took custom modifications to the seat, steering wheel and pedals to make this possible.

“He spent the whole day in it, and is the first disabled person to ever do so.

“He’s always been a fighter and seeing him have this day is an honour. The smile never left his face.

“Thank you Mercedes for the time and work put in to make this possible and make my brother’s dream come true.”

Having claimed his first podium finish of 2023 at the previous round in Australia, Hamilton sits fourth in the Drivers’ standings ahead of the season’s resumption in Azerbaijan this weekend.

Image credit: Lewis Hamilton/Instagram