Lewis Hamilton: F1 star's brother reveals personal insight into incredible journey secured his fifth world title this season and is only two behind Michael Schumacher’s record. And Nicholas Hamilton has spoken about how the two of them have fought adversity to reach where they are. Nicholas, 26, who is also a racer in the British Touring Car Championship, insists having come from nothing shows their true grit. “We never dreamed of being in Formula 1,” he told at the Autosport Awards.
“It was always our goal as a family to get him there. "One title was enough and we were super, super excited and proud to be a part of it. "To see him achieve so much, especially this year, he's breaking so many records and I'm super proud for him and to see what he's doing. “He's such a great role model for a lot of people. I'm his number one fan, always have been, and I know where we've come from - a one-bedroom flat pretty much, not born with a silver spoon in our mouths, and look at us now with what Lewis is achieving.
“It's fantastic to see him achieve what he's doing." Nicholas was asked how Lewis maintains his drive and will to win? "That's instilled in us," said Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy. "The same with me with my condition, coming from wheelchair-bound for six years to walking unaided and racing cars. “It's the same sort of mentality that we've grown up with, our dad really put it in our core and we never say never or take no for an answer.
"Lewis' drive and passion doesn't surprise me because that's what we worked so hard for and it's now starting to reap the rewards. “You can't take it for granted because Formula 1 is such a fantastic championship and spectacle that when you're at the top you have to really embrace because in F1 it can never last forever. “Lewis is really taken it with both hands and achieving as much as he can."
NEXT NEWS:Chevrolet to power McLaren and Alonso at 2019 Indy 500.McLaren has confirmed that its return to the Indianapolis 500 in May will be in association with Chevrolet, which will provide the engines for Fernando Alonso's second appearance in the iconic event.
Alonso's maiden run in the 2017 Indy 500 was powered by Honda engines, as the McLaren F1 team was at the time in partnership with the Japanese manufacturer. However that alliance soon came to an end, with McLaren moving to Renault power units this season and Honda teaming up instead with Toro Rosso. That break-up would have made it difficult for McLaren and Honda to collaborate again on another Indy 500 campaign for 2019, and so it's no surprise that the team has instead struck a deal with Chevrolet.
"McLaren and Chevrolet have a shared pedigree in North American motorsport," McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said on Tuesday. "The opportunity to reunite the two brands for this special event was just too good to pass up. "Like McLaren, Chevrolet has racing in its heart," he added. "The company’s reputation in IndyCar and at this special race is first-class and they will be a powerful partner." Chevrolet will provide McLaren with its 2.2-litre twin turbocharged direct injected V6 IndyCar engines for the month of May.
Alonso - whose first Indy run came to a premature end with engine failure - was delighted by the new arrangement for 2019 which he hopes will see him become only the second driver in history to complete the unofficial Triple Crown of Motorsports after Graham Hill. "It will be a privilege to wear the Bowtie Brand at the 2019 Indy 500," he said. "Having Chevrolet power behind me means we’re putting ourselves in the best possible position to compete at the front. "I had a bit of a taste of Chevy power earlier [last] week in Jimmie’s NASCAR and I liked it!" he pointed out.
"The opportunity to contest any Indy 500 is an honour, so I’m proud to have Chevrolet as part of the team." Alonso will also be teaming up with another of General Motors' brands, Cadillac, for his return to next months' Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. "It’s exciting to partner with Fernando Alonso and McLaren for the 2019 Indianapolis 500," commented Jim Campbell, Chevrolet's US vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. "Chevrolet and McLaren have a storied racing history dating back to the mid-1960s," he added, referring to over 40 wins together in the Can-Am championship in the early 1970s.
"Fernando brings incredible driving talent, and a passion for the sport and winning the biggest races in the world. When Fernando is on track, it’s electric. He generates excitement among fans everywhere." Bob Fernley, the former deputy team principal at Force India who is now president of McLaren's IndyCar operations, explained the significance of this week's announcement. “Our partnership with Chevrolet is a key piece of our plan for the 2019 Indy 500," he said. "As the reigning winning engine, the Chevrolet motor puts us in a strong position to contest this incredibly challenging event. "We’ve quickly established a strong working relationship with the Chevrolet team, who are absolute professionals, committed to the challenge, and true racers."
NEXT NEWS:Alonso secures Cadillac ride for 2019 Daytona 24 Hours. Fernando Alonso's post-Formula 1 schedule is shaping up to be as busy as ever, as the Spaniard will be returning to the Daytona International Speedway in January for the Rolex 24 Hours.Alonso made his début in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at the start of this year, racing for Zak Brown's United Autosport team alongside then-McLaren test driver Lando Norris.
The car proved to be less than fully competitive and Alonso finished in 38th place in a field of 50 cars. However it was invaluable experience for the two-time world champion ahead of entering the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota, and winning the 24 Hours at Le Mans on his first attempt With IMSA splitting its prototype class into DPi and LMP2 categories next year, Alonso has secured a competitive drive with Wayne Taylor Racing in the No.
10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R that he will share alongside his WEC Toyota LMP1 team mate Kamui Kobayashi, Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande. "I am very happy about joining the Konica Minolta Cadillac team and Wayne Taylor Racing to race together at the Rolex 24 At Daytona," said Alonso. "This is undoubtedly one of the greatest races in American and world motorsport.
Returning to the United States is always special. "The atmosphere created by the fans is unique throughout an incredible weekend. I really hope to fight for the win, as well as having fun and putting a smile on the fans’ faces. "I made my debut last year both in endurance races and with these sportscar prototypes, as well as on this track. I was left wanting much more after a brake issue ended our hopes of stepping on the podium. "After an intense year in which I’ve competed in both Formula One and the WEC, I’m really looking forward to 2019 and attempting to conquer one of the most important races in the world.
"I’m brimming with hunger and desire and I can’t wait for the first race of next season and going out on track to battle with my Konica Minolta Cadillac teammates." Wayne Taylor Racing were prototype champions in 2017, and won the final race of the 2018 season at Petit Le Mans which was held at Road America last month. However they were forced to retire from this year's Daytona 24 Hours late in the proceedings. Alonso is not currently expected to take part in any other IMSA events in 2019.
However, Cadillac is part of the General Motors family that includes Chevrolet, which is now expected to provide engines for Alonso's second bid to win the Indy 500 in May with McLaren. "The full priority is the Indy 500," Alonso said in Bahrain on Monday. "So we need to accommodate a few things. It is not that I want to go by my own in all the decisions. I want to have the support from everyone." Alonso's first run in the iconic race in 2017 was powered by Honda - McLaren's engine partners in Formula 1 at the time - but engine failure saw him drop out of the race with 21 laps to go having led on three separate occasions.
If he were to win the 500-mile race then he would become only the second person in history to lay claim to motorsport's unofficial Triple Crown of Motorsports, having already taken career wins in F1 in Monaco and in WEC at Le Mans. The only previous driver to have been victorious in all three events during his driving career is Graham Hill.
NETX NEWS:Steiner: Haas learned from its mistakes, and improved.Haas boss Guenther Steiner says the fact that the US outfit was able to learn from its mistakes and subsequently improve was one of the most important aspects of its 2018 campaign. Haas embarked on its third season of Grand Prix racing this year and scored almost double the amount of points it collected in 2017, a result that delivered a fourth-place finish to the team in the Constructors' standings and validated its progress.
There were nevertheless a few mishaps over the course of the year, like the team's very costly double pit stop blunder at the opening round in Melbourne. Steiner insists however that the outfit's crews crucially wised up on the back of their errors. "For me it is important that if you make a mistake once, it is not okay, but the important thing is you don't make the mistake a second time," he said. "That is when you call it learning. "Like in the pit stops. We had this disaster in Australia, but we didn't have one [problem] afterwards, so we are in a good place.
"We just now need to make sure we keep this good place, because the pit stops after Australia they were for sure slower than they should have been, but that was the right thing to do until we got our confidence back and our processes back. No one was there just blaming somebody. We said, 'okay, we have to better this,' and we did.
This is one of the things we got better at this year." As a solid mid-field contender this year, Haas found itself battling Renault for the honorary title of 'best of the rest' behind F1's unassailable trio of front-runners. While the team was ultimately defeated by the French squad when the curtain fell in Abu Dhabi, Steiner says it only had itself to blame. "I think it was our own fault that we didn't finish fourth," explained the Italian.
"We never have to forget that we are only in our third season. To finish fifth is great - and to finish first of the privateers I would call it, because the guys in front are all works team except Red Bull, which works like a works team. "There is always this 'we could have been fourth'. But could and would doesn't get you anything. So I decided to be happy with fifth." .