
Lewis Hamilton's brother opens up on treatment from Ferrari at British GP
Nicolas Hamilton, the younger brother of Formula One superstar Lewis Hamilton, has expressed his delight at the warm welcome he received from Ferrari during his visit to Silverstone.
The 33-year-old, who competes in the British Touring Car Championship for Powder Monkey Brewing Co with Esidock, was there on Saturday to support his brother during the British Grand Prix qualifying sessions. Despite living with cerebral palsy, Nicolas races in a specially adapted car and has incredibly participated in over 150 BTCC races.
He enjoyed a heartfelt reunion with Lewis, who was donning the iconic Ferrari red for the first time, sharing a conversation and an affectionate hug after the qualifying rounds.
Taking to social media, Nicolas shared his experience with Ferrari, posting on X: "So good to be back, supporting big bro! First time for me with @scuderiaferrari, where I have been made to feel so welcome."
However, it wasn't all celebrations as Hamilton secured only the fifth starting position for Sunday's race, where he holds the record for the most wins in F1 history with nine victories at the iconic track.
Despite a promising start and dominating Q2, Hamilton was left trailing by a mere hundredth of a second in Q3, relegating him to start from the third row at Silverstone behind Max Verstappen and other rivals.
Even with this setback, Hamilton remains buoyant about his prospects of winning the race, reflecting fondly on his previous victory at Silverstone with Mercedes last year, reports the Express.
Hamilton conveyed his renewed vigour, stating: "I definitely feel a lot better in the car this weekend. This track is incredible, the crowd's been amazing but we needed just a little bit more, like another tenth of performance in the car just to nudge us a little bit closer to the front guys.
"Of course, I'll dream of it tonight and I'll try and execute tomorrow," he said on Saturday concerning his aspirations for etching yet another win on the Silverstone tarmac.
"I think the weather's going to be interesting, I'd imagine it's dry probably for the race but it would be cool if it's drizzling or... yeah, we'll see."
Hamilton was the centre of one of F1's biggest driver changes in history last year when opting to leave Mercedes after 11 years of service to seek a new challenge with Ferrari last year.
Amid the uncertainty over Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull with the Silver Arrows said to be interested in acquiring the Dutchman, the Brit admitted he'd recommend his former team to any driver wanting to make the move there.
"If someone, anyone, was going to ask me about Mercedes, it's an amazing team also with the passion, they've got great personnel, it's a great factory, great environment to work in," he told reporters ahead of the British Grand Prix.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Micah Richards left 'scratching his head' over £50m Arsenal transfer decision
Arsenal are weighing up a move for the £50m-rated Noni Madueke from Chelsea as their summer transfer business ramps up but Micah Richards has raised concerns over where he fits into their team Micah Richards admits he's "scratching his head" as to where Noni Madueke would fit in at Arsenal given their interest in the Chelsea star. Mikel Arteta is ramping up his recruitment and the England international is now on his radar. The winger enjoyed a strong season with the Blues, coming up with 16 goals and assists as the west Londoners claimed the UEFA Conference League. He's also broken into the Three Lions squad but does appear to be below Pedro Neto in the pecking order - with new signings arriving too in the shape of Jamie Gittens and Brazilian teenager Estevao. It has led to talk of a move across London to the Emirates, with Arsenal monitoring his situation, although his £50million price tag could prove to be a sticking point. Nevertheless Richards doesn't understand why Arsenal are pursuing someone who operates in the same position as Bukayo Saka. The team's talisman is a guaranteed starter and it would require Madueke to play from his less favoured left side if he were to join. Richards has backed the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad but believes the focus now must be on landing a No 9. He said on The Rest is Football podcast: "I like Zubimendi. We saw him in the Euros final, when Rodri came off. Very good player, tactically really good. He's good on the ball, really good awareness in midfield. Gyokeres is a really good striker. I think a striker is more important than getting Madueke in first. READ MORE: Arsenal chief Andrea Berta flies out for final talks over £70m Viktor Gyokeres transfer "Madueke… where is he going to play? He's been playing for Chelsea on the left recently. I really like him as a player, but I like him on the right and he's not going to play ahead of Bukayo Saka, is he? "So, I'm scratching my head on that one. I agree [that they need two players in every position]. But Saka is always fit normally, until he got that really bad injury." With Chelsea continuing to land new arrivals Madueke could fall further down the pecking order, opening the door to a move away after just over two years at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca has also made it clear that he only wants "happy" players on his books. The Italian, when quizzed on his winger, said: "Noni has been very important for us. But my message to the players and to the club is that I just want players that are happy to be with us. The ones that are not happy, they are free to go. Noni has been very good during the season." Arsenal's recent captures from their London rivals include Jorginho, who contributed during his spell before leaving this summer. Raheem Sterling's loan signing 12 months ago was far less successful with the ex-Manchester City man struggling for form. This summer they've landed the signature of Kepa Arrizabalaga.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Ben Sulayem says F1 could have V8 engines as soon as 2029
July 7 (Reuters) - Formula One could go back to using noisy V8 engines with fully sustainable fuel by 2029 at the earliest, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The sport is entering a new engine era next season but the head of the governing body suggested last February that a return to the naturally-aspirated V8s or V10s was being considered after that. The V8 engines were last used in 2013, before the current 1.6-litre V6 units. "The current engine is so complicated, you have no idea, and it is costly," Ben Sulayem told reporters at the weekend's British Grand Prix. "R&D is reaching 200 million (dollars), and the engine is costing approximately 1.8 to 2.1, so if we go with a straight V8, let's see. "Many of the manufacturers produce V8s in their cars, so commercially it's correct. How much is it? You drop it. The target is more than 50% in everything." Ben Sulayem said the V8 engine would also have significant weight advantages and the sound would be welcomed by both nostalgic fans and the new generation. "To us, the V8 is happening. With the teams now, I'm very optimistic, happy about it. FOM (Formula One Management) are supportive, the teams are realising it is the right way," he said. "We need to do it soon... you need three years, so hopefully by 2029 we have something there, but the fuel is also very expensive, and we have to be very careful with that. Transmissions are very expensive." Ben Sulayem also spoke about the possibility of a Chinese team filling the final 12th slot, something he has mentioned before, and said he still felt the sport needed more cars rather than more races. "The time will come when we feel it is right to open an expression of interest," he said of filling the 12th slot. "We are not here to upset other teams. It won't be just go and do it for the sake of doing it. It has to be worth it for us. The team has to add value to sustaining the business of Formula One." General Motors' Cadillac brand is due to become the 11th team next season, a slot won after initial resistance from the other teams and Liberty Media-owned Formula One.


Top Gear
2 hours ago
- Top Gear
Nine of the finest six-cylinder performance cars on sale right now
Advertisement Lotus Emira V6 SE (£96,500) The 400bhp Emira is a major swansong for Lotus since it's the last combustion-powered car it'll ever make. Opt for the heartier 3.5-litre six-cylinder supplied by Toyota - shared with the old Evora and Exige models - and you'll snap to 62mph in 4.3s and on to a top speed of 180mph. It lags slightly behind in acceleration, top speed, and torque compared to the AMG four-pot-powered Turbo SE, but the gains include a punchier soundtrack and the option of a six-speed manual. Advertisement - Page continues below Ferrari 296 GTB (£241,500) Many had their reservations about the 296 GTB's hybrid V6 when it launched: could it still excite like mid-engined Ferraris of old? Yes, the world quickly discovered. Ferrari called it a 'piccolo' V12 (or 'little' V12) during development, because the equal-length manifolds and symmetrical firing order combine to create a similar sound to a 12-cylinder. It also punches pretty hard for a six-pot engine, with 819bhp and 546lb ft of torque when combined with an electric motor. The 0-62mph sprint takes just 2.9s and there's a top-end of 205mph. It's currently the eighth-fastest car around the Fiorano test track, with the more hardcore Speciale entering the podium. That's because it gets an extra 49bhp, 60kg less weight and 20 per cent higher downforce at peak speeds. That'll only be sold for a limited amount of time, though. You might like BMW G80 M3 Touring (£91,865) Armed with BMW's 'S58' straight-six, which sends 523bhp and 480lb ft through an eight-speed 'box to all four wheels, the M3 Touring will haul you, your family and your petrified pooch to 62mph in just 3.6s. It won our 'All The Car You'll Ever Need' Award two years ago, too. Advertisement - Page continues below Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (£86,885) An Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio isn't as rounded or crushingly complete as a BMW M3, if you're the sort of person who likes their infotainment pixel-sharp and snappy. If you crave 'connected services' between your car and smartphone. Whatever they are. But if you're a human being with a soul and want a four-door saloon with gorgeous looks... you can't buy the M3. And if you want a family saloon that's bite-the-back-of-your-hand brilliant to drive, then even today, five years after the Giulia Quadrifoglio came into our lives, you probably can't do better anywhere else. McLaren Artura Spider (£221,500) Hell of an engine, this. The Spider's hybridised 690bhp 3.0-litre V6 weighs just 160kg, 50kg less than the 4.0-litre V8 that's powered most McLarens so far. It's also impressively compact. Rather than a 90-degree V, the cylinders sit at a 120-degree angle, which also reduces pressure losses in the exhaust. The twin turbos sit within the 'hot vee' configuration, which means they can spin faster with helpful consequences for throttle response. That's packed into a deeply impressive car that's easy to drive quickly but with extra layers that reveal themselves the more you push it. We recently had an MC20 in our long-term fleet, and as it turns out, it does the whole 'daily supercar' thing quite well. It's pretty, too, and that clean-sheet 'Nettuno' 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 is positioned at a 90-degree angle, dry-sumped and supported by Formula One-grade pre-chamber combustion for a more efficient burn. The result is 621bhp and 538lb ft, with 0-62mph sorted in under three seconds en route to a 202mph vmax. Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Coupe (£75,660) The first thing you'll note about the hot new CLE 53 is its stance: the brawny bonnet, the slowly descending roofline and those chunky hips are all reminiscent of the old V8-powered C63s. Sadly, the engine isn't the same, though the hearty turbocharged inline-six gets 443bhp and 413lb ft - or an extra 30 torques with overboost engaged. It's not quite as focused and tactile as some of the other bits on this list, sure, but as a mid-range performance car, it's still really rather good. Advertisement - Page continues below BMW G87 M2 Coupe (£67,055) A strange performance car, in that the automatic version might actually be better than the manual. Regardless of which you choose, the rear-drive M2 shares the M3's S58 engine, repurposed here to spin 473bhp at the flywheel. This may also be the last purely petrol-powered M car, and should that end up being the case, it's a wonderful - if a little too mature - swansong. As our Ollie Kew said in his review: 'No other small sporting coupe is as practical, as complete, and in many ways the M2 now asks very serious questions of the M4 itself.' Talk about annoyingly talented younger siblings. Porsche 992.2 911 GT3 (£158,200) The definitive six-cylinder performance car that's shown the way for decades. And so to the current 992.2 GT3: rear-mounted, water-cooled 4.0-litre flat-six which revs to 9,000rpm, and produces 503bhp and 332lb ft. 0-62mph is dealt with in 3.4s and, given enough room, it'll punch its way to 193mph. This engine is the culmination of over six decades of work, and as you'd expect, it's absolutely delicious. Advertisement - Page continues below