Lewis Hamilton brother escapes 'scary' car fire

Nicolas Hamilton, the brother of seven-time F1 champion Lewis, suffered a dramatic ending to a race at the latest British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) last weekend.

The series was competing at Silverstone for races 25, 26 and 27 of the championship.

However, Hamilton's weekend soon came to a dramatic close as on lap 18 of the first race, his Cupra Leon suddenly caught fire.

It caused quite a scare for the 33-year-old, however he was able to quickly jump out of the car and avoid injury.

The car, however, was in a lot worse shape. The fire caused extensive damage to the Cupra, forcing him to miss the rest of the race weekend. With that, his run of 25 race starts in a row was lost.

Taking to social media, Hamilton shared an image of the car and suggested his racing season may have come to an end.

“What an amazing picture of a very disappointing and scary moment for me, my family and friends to start my Sunday at Silverstone,” Hamilton said. 

“I was surprisingly very calm throughout the whole situation, trying to save the car from any further damage whilst keeping myself safe and I am so proud of myself on how I handled the situation.

“After yesterday’s fire, there is a question mark on whether I will be driving for the last round of the season at Brands Hatch next weekend, but if I don’t get the opportunity to finish the season off, I want to thank absolutely everyone for getting behind me this year. 

“Friends, family and sponsors for the continued love and support in helping me follow my dream and continue my journey.

“I personally feel I have been driving the best I EVER have driven in the BTCC to date and I am so proud of my progress this year.”