Lewis Hamilton would not be the man he is today without the unwavering support of his family.
Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the great British sporting exports, with the 38-year-old widely regarded as the best F1 driver to have ever lived. He would certainly not be the man he is today without the influence of his family, who have supported him relentlessly in his pursuit of greatness over the years.
Express Sport is on hand to provide an insight into Hamilton’s family life, from humble beginnings in Stevenage to a bitter row with his own father…
Having two mums
Hamilton’s biological mother is Carmen Larbalestier, who was born in 1955 and gave birth to him 30 years later. She has been spotted at several Grand Prix weekends in support of her son and went with him to Windsor Castle when he was knighted in late 2021.
The Mercedes driver was raised with half-sisters Nicola and Samantha by Carmen, who obtained custody of him when he was 12 years old. He revealed last year that he was in the process of changing his name to include his mother’s surname, saying: “I don’t fully understand the idea that when people get married the woman loses their name. I really want my mum to continue on with the Hamilton name.”
The Brit also has a stepmother, Linda, who helped to raise Hamilton when he moved in with her and his father at the age of 12. She has also been spotted in the paddock and famously hugged him, together with Carmen, after winning the Chinese Grand Prix in 2008 just weeks before clinching his maiden world title.
Sacking his own dad
Hamilton’s father, Anthony, was a key figure in his early career and was said to have juggled four jobs at once to afford the costs of karting. He went on to manage his son after making it to F1 and oversaw his first world title in 2008, but everything changed when they parted ways two years later.
It came as something of a surprise when Hamilton confirmed that his father would no longer have any involvement in the management of his racing career. The split triggered a cooling-off in their personal relationship but they have since patched things up and have often been spotted together at recent Grand Prix weekends.
Hamilton later opened up on his decision to split with his father, telling the On Purpose podcast: “Me and my dad bumped heads at one stage. I really just wanted him to be my dad. Let’s go and have fun, let’s laugh. We hadn’t had that for a long, long time. I decided to part ways with my dad to make decisions for myself. There was a period where we spoke less.”
Growing up in ‘slums’
Hamilton spent his childhood in Stevenage and attended a local Catholic school, where he played on the football team with future England international Ashley Young. He lived on Peartree Way and Woodfield Road while growing up before swapping the UK for Switzerland in 2007, citing privacy as the reason behind the move.
The Brit went on to feel the wrath of Stevenage residents at the Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2018, when he said: “It’s been a really long journey, a dream for us all, as a family, to do something different, to get out of the slums.”
His comments sparked no shortage of fury from locals, with Stevenage Borough Council leader Sharon Taylor saying at the time: “It is disappointing that Lewis Hamilton referred to Stevenage as ‘the slums’ at such a high-profile event. He clearly realised what he had said and tried to correct it but sadly the people of our town, many of whom admire and support him, felt very offended.”
Hamilton went on to issue a public apology via Instagram, explaining: “I definitely make mistakes quite often and particularly when you’re up in front of a crowd trying to find the right words to express the long journey that you’ve had in life. I chose the wrong words, but I didn’t mean anything by it and those of you who know me know that I always mean love.”
