“The complete package on and off the track”

Lewis Hamilton’s brother Nicolas is ‘not at all surprised’ at how his brother handled a difficult week in Formula 1, calling it ‘the complete package’.

Preparations for the British Grand Prix at Hamilton’s home at Silverstone were halted when comments from former driver Nelson Piquet surfaced in which he used a racial slur to describe the Briton.

The sport, teams and drivers have come to the defense of the seven-time champion, who spoke eloquently of the “archaic mindset” that still exists in F1, and sadly explained how far it is from being the first time he has been discriminated against in sport.

His brother, Nicolas, who competes in the British Touring Car Championship, explained how the week went and why Lewis is so much more than just a driver.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com at Silverstone, he said: “Obviously he’s got a lot of experience with it, he’s been racing for a long time.

“It’s about being a complete package, it’s not just about being a good driver on the track, but also a decent person off the track.

“Over the years Lewis has developed his brand and himself as a person, he’s made his mistakes in the past, but it’s easy to focus on the negatives, but Lewis never does, and he always focuses on the positives and how we can look at the bigger picture.

“I’m not at all surprised [at how well he’s handled things]that’s how it is, he’s a good person and I support him 100%.

Nicolas added: “I didn’t watch the preparation at all, I just knew I was going to be here today and tomorrow, I don’t really watch the politics of Formula 1 and motorsport in general.

“We keep to ourselves and come, do our thing and go home and try to inspire people along the way.”

Back on track, Lewis will contest his home race from fifth on the grid, with Mercedes entering the weekend with a series of improvements at a circuit that should suit their car.

Nicolas thought his brother could have cracked the top three on a wet Silverstone track, but is confident more progress can be made on race day.

“Decent result, we see a lot of progress and improvement with the car,” he said. “I think we all knew there was a bit more to the car, especially in the wet.

“The playing field is more level playing field, obviously you don’t carry as much gear at high speeds where the car seems to struggle in the dry, so it’s a shame we didn’t get a top three result. first, I think that was what was in the bag today, but either way it happens, it’s motorsport.

Asked if he thought his brother could get back on the top step of the podium if it rained – as Eddie Jordan thinks it could happen – he replied: “Definitely, I think so.

“The forecast looks dry, so we just have to drive the race ahead of us.

“We just have to wait and see, but either way Lewis is going to give it his all like he always does.”