Nicolas, Lewis Hamilton’s brother, had to sell a Mercedes automobile given to him to pay off a debt incurred as a result of his “all-consuming” gambling addiction.

Hamilton, 39, is one of the best Formula One drivers of all time, having won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes during his remarkable career. Hamilton also arranged for a Mercedes C63 to be given to his younger sibling Nicolas, 32.

However, Nicolas would eventually sell the car to pay off his obligation. The 32-year-old opened up about his addiction, which left him despondent and suicidal, in his new book ‘Now That I Have Your Attention’.

He said: “I felt so ashamed, using this amazing gift to pay my tax bill. It felt like I had practically stolen the money from my brother and I have never forgiven myself for that.

“It destroyed me. I got a real wake-up call. I had no way of going forward because I’d lost everything. I was stuck. I had a balcony at my flat and I was thinking what would I do if I just jumped off it.”

Speaking to The Times about his struggles, Nicolas added: “I wanted more of the winnings – and the losing didn’t really deter me. It just got me in a cycle. I couldn’t stop thinking about it – I just wanted to go back to my computer.”

He revealed the addiction started with one £2 on football team Arsenal to score a goal. Nicolas continued: “The whole day would go quite easily. I could see it was a problem but I was too far in. I was scared to stop. I’d lost so much money that I felt like, if I stopped, I was in a hole that I wouldn’t get out of.”

Lewis Hamilton gifted his brother a Mercedes

Nicolas, like his brother, has cerebral palsy and is a motorsport lover, having joined the British Touring Car Championship in 2015 and finishing sixth at Donnington Park last year. He did not feel comfortable asking Hamilton or his other family members for assistance, so he sought aid from the Samaritans helpline and eventually overcame his addiction.