Lewis told us: “My poor brother, you know, he is seven years younger than me,
and I never, ever let him beat me at anything. It doesn’t matter what it
was.”
Mother Linda agreed that Nic got little special treatment. “We didn’t really
wrap him in cotton wool,” she said. “He has never wanted to be looked
at as if he is disabled.”
Which is just as well, really, given the “tough love” of father Anthony.
In one shot we saw Nic dragging himself awkwardly up a spiral staircase at
home. “I always told Dad not to put in spiral stairs, as they’re hard to
walk up. But he did it anyway.”
Anthony provides great support to Nic but expects commitment. “This isn’t a
game, it’s a serious business. If you tell me you want to go motor racing to
win, that’s what I expect you to do.”
Nic’s journey into racing took him to the Clio Cup, a competition in which
everyone drives Renault Clios. This may sound like a horse race in which
everyone rides Blackpool donkeys, but the cars are very different from
normal Clios. Nic’s car costs £70,000.
So, writing it off in a crash proved expensive as well as unfortunate. As the
season progressed we saw how that crash undermined Nic’s confidence. But one
of the marvellously likeable things about Nic is that he is always cheerful.
Lewis recalled: “He was the happiest kid ever. I couldn’t believe it. Not once
do I ever remember him complain.
Me? I’d have been whining like crazy.” No surprise for Formula One followers
in that last remark. Though, to be fair, Lewis in this documentary came
across as a top guy who clearly loves and supports Nic.
“I always say my brother is an inspiration to me,” Lewis said. “I think what
was special about him was the times we played football outside and the times
we were doing competitive things together and he would fall over constantly
but he’d just get back up and try again.”
“You know the expression, ‘If you get knocked off a horse, you get
back up on it again’? He’s a perfect example of that.” And he’s right –
Nic’s refusal to quit shines throughout this heartening documentary.