At Expo 2022 in Dubai, Lewis Hamilton announced that he has initiated legal proceedings to change his surname to succeed his father, Anthony Hamilton, to that of his mother, Carmen Larblestie, in Formula 1 history.

The 37-year-old claimed the name change wouldn’t happen before the upcoming Bahrain GP this Sunday (20/3), but “I hope soon,” he said. That means he might be fighting for the new name sometime this year.

Hamilton, who has borne the surname Anthony Hamilton throughout his life and career, has spoken out against the fact that, in the vast majority of cases, marriage removes the mother’s surname from her children’s names.

Consequently, as part of his overall fight for equality – in this case of both sexes – he decided to change his surname to keep his mother’s surname in the F1 history books. What he will do after leaving office is not yet known.

The Brit said he had won a record eighth Formula 1 title “It would mean everything to my family and it would mean a lot to me to know, for example, that I am very proud of my family name, Hamilton.”

The driver of the Mercedes F1 continued: “None of you probably know that my mother’s name is Larbalestie and I’m ready to add it to my name now. I don’t quite get the idea of ​​two people getting married and the woman losing her last name. I want my mother to carry on the Hamilton name. I hope that [η αλλαγή] It will be ready soon – not this weekend but we are working on it“.

Carmen Larbalestier was born in England in 1955 and acquired Anthony Hamilton Lewis in Stevenage, England in 1985. The marriage of the champion’s parents ended two years later and Lewis continued to live with his mother. Carmen later married Raymond Lockhart and took the surname of her second husband, with whom she had two daughters, Samantha and Nicola.

At the age of 12, Carmen and Raymond Lockhart decided to move to London and Lewis returned to the home of his father, Anthony Hamilton, who continued to live in Stevenage. Anthony Hamilton, meanwhile, had married his second wife, Linda, with whom he had Lewis’ half-brother, Nicholas.

Although they haven’t lived together since she was 12, Lewis and Carmen’s mother have always had a very close bond and she – while avoiding public appearances – has attended several GPs to share the joy of Formula 1 victories with her son split.

The family remained loved. At the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis said: “Just having my father, my mother, my brother and Linda here is much more important than the support of 100,000 people in the stands. I could not have achieved anything without my family.

I owe them everything. My father who pushed me and helped me with my decisions. My mother, my two mothers, poThey supported me in such a way that they raised me and gave me instructions. And my brother who never doubted me.” It was just one of many times that Hamilton publicly spoke to Carmen Larbalestier with gratitude.