Write Lewis Hamilton off at your peril is the message from someone who knows him better than anyone – his brother Nicolas.

Despite strolling to his third Formula One Championship last season with three races left to run, Stevenage’s Hamilton has struggled to match those dominant heights this time around so far and trails Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 36 points ahead of this weekend’s fourth round in Russia.

There is still plenty of time left to turn things around though as Hamilton looks to become the first Brit – and just the fifth ever driver – to win at least four Championship titles.

And while Hamilton has drawn criticism from some quarters who suggest his public lifestyle is a distraction, his younger brother insists this is not the case.

“Our life is motorsport so we don’t always talk about it,” said Nicolas Hamilton, speaking in his role as ambassador for JET, one of the event partners of this year’s Silverstone Classic from July 29-31.

“But he knows he hasn’t had the best start, I know he hasn’t had the best start. Everybody who is a Hamilton fan knows he hasn’t. But he’s had worse, a lot worse and has come back from it.

“It’s a shame he hasn’t turned a couple of poles into a couple of wins. That’s the thing with motorsport, it’s up and down.

“This year the Championship is so long, there are a lot of races so anything can happen.

“You’ve just got to stay grounded and do the best job you can do. He’s getting on now, he’s 31, he’s been in Formula One for a long time.

“He knows what he’s doing. I know he really wants that fourth title. Formula One is Lewis’ main goal, it’s what he always wanted to do.

“What his F1 career has allowed him to do is live life to the fullest because you are only here once. You have to enjoy it while it is here.

“You are always going to see people who dislike how he is or what he does but at the end of the day he’s just doing what he wants to do.”

Like his brother, Nicolas is also heavily involved with motorsport and last year became the first disabled driver to race in the British Touring Car Championship.

And the long-term aim for the 24-year-old, who lives with cerebral palsy, is to one day finish on the podium.

“Ten years ago if you’d have told me that I would have become the first disabled person to drive British Touring Cars I would have told you to go away – I wouldn’t have thought it was possible,” he said.

“The target this year is to get another team, who can help me out. At the end of the day, I want to win and I want to achieve as much as possible. Having a disabled athlete on the podium would be such a great story.”

Now in its 26th year, the Silverstone Classic is firmly established as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, attracting more than 1,100 race entries.

The three-day festival will feature the very best of historic racing covering more than eight decades of motorsport, as well as live music from the likes of the Stranglers, Reed and The Boomtown Rats and a wealth of family entertainment.

Former Watford striker Luther Blissett will also be in attendance in his role as ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK – Silverstone’s first ever official charity partner – while Ware TV presenter Ant Antstead will be competing as part of his filming of a Channel 4 documentary about the restoration of a Lotus Elite.

Hamilton will be there too, talking to visitors about his experience of racing with a disability and also to soak up the atmosphere of the day himself.

“This is going to be my third year being at the Silverstone Classic,” he added.

“Coming to the Silverstone Classic is going to teach you a lot about motor sport. For me, there are cars that I’ve never seen before, never heard about before, because they were before my time.”

Impressive track parades, infield displays from over 100 car clubs, plus interactive driving activities and dynamic demonstrations. Entry is advanced ticket only and for full details – as well as hospitality packages and weekend festival camping – visit: www.silverstoneclassic.com