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Lewis Hamiltonis changing his last name to honor his mother, Carmen Larbalestier.
While speaking at the 2022 Dubai Expo ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix that begins this weekend, the British athlete, 37, revealed his decision to incorporate his mother’s maiden name into his own, which he expected would take place “soon,“Sky Sportsreports.
“I’m really proud of my family’s name, Hamilton,” he said. “None of you might know that my mum’s name is Larbalestier, and I am just about to put that in my name.”
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Hamilton explained he wants his mom “to continue on with the Hamilton name.”
“I don’t fully understand the idea that when people get married, the woman loses their name,” he added.
Growing up, the Formula 1 champion divided his time between his mother and his father, Anthony, after his parents separated when he was 2 years old, Sky Sports reported.
It is unclear how Hamilton plans to add his mom’s surname to his, but the change can come as early as “this weekend.” He told Sky Sports, “We are working on it.”
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Hamilton is the fourth F1 driver to be bestowed the honor, theracing organization said.
Last July, during an interview withThe Guardian, he described his mother as “so loving” before adding, “my mum was wonderful.”
In 2020, Hamiltontold PEOPLEhe also owes his success to his dad, who he claimed “never doubted me once.”
Calling Anthony his “real hero,” he explained, “my dad, he never went out. He never had new clothes. He wasn’t saving up to buy anything new. Everything — remortgaging the house multiple times — went into go-karting, which sounds crazy. It is crazy, but he believed so much in me.”
Currently, Hamilton is gearing up for his 16th season in Formula 1, bidding to win his 8th championship afterbeing tied in pointswith his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last year.
Hamilton, widely considered one of the best drivers of all time in his sport, told Sky Sports that scoring the championship “would mean the world to my family.”
source: people.com
