HAMPSHIRE motor racing ace Dean Stoneman is suing his former doctor for failing to spot he had cancer.

The champion driver is seeking damages of at least £300,000 claiming the misdiagnosis robbed him of a chance of stepping up to Formula 1 alongside the likes of fellow Brits Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Mr Stoneman was only told he had testicular cancer in 2011 – two years after symptoms first started to appear, according to a writ issued to the Royal Courts of Justice.

The 2010 Formula 2 champion, of Botley Road, Bishop’s Waltham, survived after undergoing extensive treatment and is now back behind the wheel competing again.

But Mr Stoneman, now 23, has issued a writ against Dr Paul Hemming, who was his GP at the Bishop’s Waltham Surgery, claiming he missed the warning signs of testicular cancer over a number of visits.

The claim, which has been issued to the Royal Courts of Justice in London, states Mr Stoneman suffered a “serious impairment of his motor racing career” as a result of his cancer going undetected and subsequent treatment.

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Dean Stoneman celebrates a victory

The writ claims Mr Stoneman would still have enjoyed a successful career in motorsport and only experience temporary disruption if his condition was treated earlier.

It states his severe illness and symptoms from chemotherapy treatment following his diagnosis in 2011 “substantially delayed” his career and “impaired” his ability to return to high level motor racing.

According to the claim, Mr Stoneman first attended the practice in January 2009 and was referred for an ultrasound investigation, which revealed he had epididymal cysts on his testicles.

He returned twice more during 2009 complaining of abdominal pain and chest and rib pain, while suffering reported testicular pain, the writ claims.

Mr Stoneman then saw Dr Hemming in May 2010 continuing to suffer from symptoms connected to testicular cancer but the document states he was told the condition was “quite common” among people his age, and made “no comment” about testicular symptoms.

Mr Stoneman’s cancer was only diagnosed in January 2011, the report states, after he saw a different GP.

He was referred to a consultant surgeon at Southampton Spire Hospital, who carried out ultrasound, scanning, and other investigations, which revealed advanced testicular cancer.

Mr Stoneman underwent successful chemotherapy treatment and is currently competing in the GP3 series.

However, the document claims that Mr Stoneman would have been able to return to motor racing in October 2010 following subsequent treatment if he was diagnosed earlier.

It reveals he had to undergo surgery and eight cycles of chemotherapy.

Mr Stoneman’s advisers said he was unable to comment due to the ongoing legal matters surrounding the case when approached by the Daily Echo.

Bishop’s Waltham Surgery said that Dr Hemming had since retired an declined to comment further. Dr Hemming was unavailable for comment.