Nicolas Hamilton appears to be like to smash down motorsport obstacles with new partnership

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) racing driver has joined forces with Royal London, the UK’s largest customer owned life, pensions and investment company, as it expands its Levelling the Playing Field initiative

Nicolas Hamilton is front and centre of a new partnership aiming to smash down the barriers facing disabled people in motorsport.

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) racing driver has joined forces with Royal London, the UK’s largest customer owned life, pensions and investment company, as it expands its Levelling the Playing Field initiative into disability and neurodiversity in motorsport.

Hamilton lives with cerebral palsy and made history in 2015 as the first disabled driver to compete in the BTCC. He competes directly against able-bodied drivers using adapted controls in his race car, helping to broaden perceptions of who can succeed in motorsport.

The partnership builds on Royal London’s work to create positive, long-term change in sport. Through its role as Founding Partner of the first British & Irish Lions Women’s rugby Team, Royal London has invested £3m in player and coach pathways across the four Home Unions to help level the playing field for women’s rugby. Working with Hamilton takes this programme into a new arena, with a focus on greater visibility, exploring inclusivity and employment opportunities.

Together, Royal London and Nicolas will raise awareness of disability and neurodiversity in motorsport and explore whether his ambition to establish the first fully disabled and neurodiverse race team can become a reality and encourage better accessibility across motorsport to create more inclusive pathways into the industry.

Susie Logan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Royal London, said: “Through Levelling the Playing Field, we back sporting firsts that can open doors for others and create meaningful, long-term change. Nicolas has already challenged perceptions by competing at the highest level of British Touring Car racing, and his ambition goes far beyond his own success.

“By working together, we want to help increase visibility for disabled and neurodivergent talent, explore what is needed to create more inclusive pathways into motorsport, and support Nicolas’s vision for a fully disabled and neurodiverse race team. We are proud to use our partnerships to help build a fairer and more inclusive future.”

Hamilton said: “Motorsport has given me independence, purpose and a platform to show that disability does not have to be a barrier. I am proud to work with Royal London because we share the same belief that creating opportunity requires more than visibility. It requires practical support and a commitment to lasting change.

“My long-term ambition is to create the first fully disabled and neurodiverse race team and help make motorsport more accessible at every level. Royal London has already shown, through its work in women’s rugby, that it is prepared to back a first and help turn an ambition into something real. I am excited about what we can achieve together.”