Lewis Hamilton announces he wants to add his mother's maiden name, Larbalestier, to his name

Seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton says he plans to add his mother's maiden name, Larbalestier, to his.

Speaking at Expo 2020 in Dubai — ahead of this week's season-opening race in Bahrain — the 37-year-old Briton said he was working on the change and hoped to make it soon.

«I'm really proud of my family's name, 'Hamilton',» he explained.

«Actually, none of you might know that my mum's name is Larbalestier, and I'm just about to put that in my name because I don't really fully understand the whole idea when people get married [and] then the woman loses her name.

»And my mum, I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name."

Hamilton's mother, Carmen, and father, Anthony, separated when he was two.

Carmen accompanied the Mercedes driver to Windsor Castle in December when he received his knighthood.

Hamilton — whose full name is Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton — said the process won't be done in time for the opening round of the F1 season in Bahrain this weekend.

«Hopefully soon,» he said. «We're working on it.»

The driver will be chasing a record eighth championship this year after losing out to Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi on the last lap of a controversial last race of 2021.

On Monday, he said that winning was not everything and that, «sometimes, when you lose, you actually win and grow».

«My advice for people is: 'Don't be afraid of failure',» he said.

Hamilton said that, during testing in Bahrain last week, Mercedes were behind Ferrari and Red Bull and his car, on current form, lacked the pace to be competing for wins.

Reuters/AP