A racing driver who dreams of following his idol Lewis Hamilton's footsteps in Formula One has been filmed alongside him for a BBC documentary.

Ruben Stanislaus, from Strood, has been filmed by crews for the past year as they follow his journey to try and make it as an elite driver.

The 18-year-old, who started racing at the age of six, was dubbed a mini Lewis Hamilton when he was younger due to his looks and speed on the track.

He and his friend Lewis Appiagyei, 19, were able to meet the racing legend while being filmed by the BBC who tracked their efforts trying to get a vital six points for their racing licence.

Ruben is looking for a chance to emulate the Formula One icon, who is the only black man on the grid, and opens up about the challenges of diversity and funding in the sport.

He said: "The racial barriers need to come down on motorsport - on a personal level that's definitely a goal of mine.

"But to address that issue, I'm going to need my name out there, racing.

"And the main barrier for me racing would be funding."

Ruben, who was previously racing up to three a month since the age of six, recently joined Idola Motorsport in the Praga Cup where he hits speeds of up to160mph.

But a season could cost anywhere between £150,000 to £200,000 and is near impossible without funding.

The competition is open to professional and amateur drivers who compete across six weekends, with 12 endurance races altogether, between March to October.

In his first Praga Cup race at Donnington Park last August he placed 5th with partner Lewis Appiagyei.

The former Rochester Maths school student added: "I need more funding, that's the main obstacle.

"The goal from when I was younger is Formula One, that's the pinnacle of racing.

"But throughout the journey of motor sport, you realise the chances of that happening and raising the amount of funding you need makes the chances very slim.

"When I started karting, racing would cost £200 to £300 per weekend. At my level now it costs £25,000- £30,000 for a race weekend.

"You can be an amazing driver but if you don't have the funding, you're not going to be there at all."

The difficulties he and teammate Lewis Appiagyei have experienced to get to this level are being explored by award-winning filmmaker Stephen Mizelas.

Ruben said Lewis Hamilton was his inspiration for getting into motorsport and the pair having striking similarities.

Both come from Grenadian heritage, have ripped up circuits like Buckmore Park in Medway and have even had the same boss after Ruben was offered a role at Silverstone as a race instructor.

Ruben, who used to attend St Andrew's in Rochester, added: "I remember watching Lewis Hamilton on TV with my dad. I said to him I wanted to do that one day.

"It was nice to see someone who looked like me, doing what he was doing and being from the same country.

"To be compared to Lewis Hamilton, it's a good thing, he's my idol.

"He's someone I've looked up to from a very young age, to be able to do what he can do would be amazing.

"But I want to build myself, and make a name for myself, and hopefully achieve what he's achieved and more."

After watching Hamilton, Ruben's dad took him to the same track his idol raced at, Buckmore Park, where he got hooked on karting.

He then moved into Honda Cadets when he was seven. Now he races in the Praga R1 car, with a top speed of 160mph.

Ruben continued: "My dad sacrificed a lot for my upbringing, education and racing, the sport costs money."

Dad Steve Stanislaus and Ruben's mum Sophia Mead are both proud of their son's achievements.

Mr Stanislaus said: "I've never raced, nor has his mum, it's just something he's had himself from an early age and nurtured.

"He's always been very technical on the car and what it does. Even when he was karting at around six or seven he had the spanners out helping me.

"We've never put any pressure on him and told him if you ever want to quit, you quit. There were no expectations from us.

"For him to meet his idol Lewis Hamilton, and for Lewis to give back like that, is amazing.

"Ruben and Lewis had a 30-minute chat with him where he was really helpful and gave them advice."

We Are England, Lewis Hamilton airs tonight on BBC One and iPlayer at 8pm.