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F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is a self-confessed mama’s boy – and a feminist.
The 37-year-old racing star is so close to his mother, Carmen Larbalestier, that he’s decided to change his name to include her maiden name.
“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,” he says.
The seven-time world champion is in the process of legally changing his name so he can race under Lewis Larbalestier Hamilton.
However, it’s not likely that he’ll compete with his preferred name on Sunday, when the new Formula One season kicks off in Bahrain.
“I don’t know if it will be this weekend. But we’re working on it,” Lewis says.
The British F1 star’s parents, Carmen and Anthony Hamilton, split when he was two but remained close and lived together until Lewis was 12.
Speaking about the divorce, Carmen says the split didn’t damage their son.
“Lewis was the best thing to come out of my marriage,” she says.
“He is probably better for it than if we had stuck together in an unhappy marriage.”
Carmen and Anthony both remarried after their divorce.
Though Anthony, who worked as Lewis’ manager until 2010, was a familiar face on the racing track, Carmen (now Lockheart) preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
But she’s always been close to her son and Lewis loves her to bits.
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Over the years he’s gushed about his mum and spared no expense to make her feel special.
When she turned 60 in 2015, he arranged a surprise birthday party for her in London with singer Jessie J as the special guest and performer for the evening.
So tight is their bond that it was Carmen who was by his side in December 2020 at Windsor Castle when he was knighted by Prince Charles.
“Since the day you brought me into this world you showered me with love, showed me the importance of empathy, compassion and caring for others,” he said on her birthday last year.
“The unconditional love you’ve shown me is unmatched and I feel so lucky to have a mother as wonderful as you. You are the best part of me.”
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Lewis, who is currently single, is also quite attached to the other woman in his life, his stepmother Linda. After his parents split and his father remarried, he moved in with Anthony and Linda, who he became very fond of.
For Lewis, family is the most important thing in the world.
“You can’t choose your family but you can make it work with them no matter what your differences,” he says.
“They are the ones that will be there when you have nothing.”
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, express.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, Instagram.com
