Lewis Hamilton has announced he is in the process of changing his name to include his mother’s surname, Larbalestier.
It is understood that Larbalestier will be a middle name, so his full name will read: Lewis Anthony Carl Davidson Larbalestier Hamilton.
The 37-year-old, who begins his attempt to wrest back the Formula One title from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Bahrain this weekend, was speaking at the 2022 Dubai Expo when he revealed the news.
“It would mean the world to my family [to win an eighth title],” he said. “It would mean a lot to me knowing that, for example, I’m really proud of my family’s name: Hamilton. Actually, none of you might know that my mum’s [sur]name is Larbalestier. And I’m just about to put that in my name.
“Because I don’t really fully understand the whole idea of why, when people get married, the woman loses her name. I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name.”
Asked whether it would be in time for this weekend, Hamilton laughed. “It will be soon,” he said. “No, I don’t know if it will be this weekend. But we’re working on it.”
Hamilton’s parents Anthony and Carmen separated when he was two. Hamilton grew up with his mother and older half-sisters, Samantha and Nicola, until he was 12, then with his father and stepmother Linda, and half-brother Nicolas. It is unclear whether he will add Larbalestier before or after Hamilton.
Who is Carmen Larbalestier?
His mother does not enjoy anything like the public profile of his father, who acted as his manager and biggest supporter until they split acrimoniously in 2010.
That relationship – Anthony had worked multiple jobs at the same time to put Hamilton through karting, acting as his mechanic, his manager, and his mentor – could not survive the intensity of the period after Hamilton became world champion for the first time in 2008, and they did not speak for a time.
His relationship with his mother has always been close, however, and is believed to have grown even closer during that period when he was estranged from his father.
Carmen Larbalestier, who is originally from Birmingham, has been an infrequent visitor to Hamilton’s races, but he did describe her as “the most amazing woman in the world” in 2015 when he organised a surprise 60th birthday party in London at which he got Jessie J to sing.
Hamilton shared a number of pictures from the party on his Instagram account with one caption saying: “So much planning and hard work, all to surprise the most amazing woman in the world, and it was so worth it!!” Hamilton and his father have since reconciled.
Hamilton and his father have since reconciled, and Hamilton has spoken publicly about the importance of family. Carmen accompanied him to collect his knighthood at Windsor Castle in December.
“Family is the most important thing in the world,” he said in 2020. “You can’t choose your family but you can make it work with them no matter what your differences. They are the ones that will be there when you have nothing.”
