Why F1 legend Lewis Hamilton changed the name on his passport: 'I don't really believe in that'

Lewis Hamilton

Why F1 legend Lewis Hamilton changed the name on his passport: 'I don't really believe in that'

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Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Tuesday 8 September 2026 20:45

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F1 legend Lewis Hamilton has revealed the heartwarming reason he legally changed the surname on his passport.

The Ferrari star first revealed his intention to add his Mum's surname, Larbalastier, to his own ahead of the 2022 F1 season, confirming to the media in Bahrain that he was in the process of making the change at the time.

Now, fast forward to 2026, and the seven-time world champion has confirmed that Hamilton is no longer the only surname on his legal documents, offering a heartwarming explanation as to why.

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Lewis Hamilton reveals why he changed his surname legally

“She’s like a lucky charm,” Hamilton said during a recent media appearance alongside F1 broadcaster Naomi Schiff.

“Yeah, my Mum, I’ve got a very close relationship with my Mum and she doesn’t have brothers or sisters, so she’s like the last of her generation, and so I actually put her name in my name.

“Because you know, when people get married, you lose your maiden name and stuff and I don’t really believe in that personally, for me, so I put hers in my name so it will always be a part of [me].

“So it’s Lewis Carl Davidson Larbalastier Hamilton on my passport, which is cool, and I just pay homage to her.”

Hamilton travelling more with his Mum in 2026

Hamilton's comments were made at the same time he and his Mum wowed an adoring Ferrari crowd in Milan, where the F1 star brought his mother out onto a balcony to thousands of supportive cheers.

The seven-time world champion said that it is all part of a concerted effort to travel more with his Mum this season, outlining some of the adventures that they have already shared this year.

"She came to races at the beginning and then she didn't like travelling,” Hamilton continued.

“She wasn't confident about how she looked and all these sorts of things. And so I took her shopping, got her new clothes, and she's like often in Chanel, she’s looking absolutely fabulous and she’s been working out.

“She’s just in a much better place, and she said, ‘This year, I'm going to come on the road with you.’ So she came to Australia, came to China, and we got to travel a bit around China on the trip. We met up in Montreal and we went and travelled to Vancouver and to Banff together.

"She's coming here [Italian Grand Prix], she comes to the next one, she's coming to Singapore. So she's really getting those air miles in this year.

“And most weekends she's been here, we got a podium, so that's the goal."

F1 Lewis Hamilton