Lewis Hamilton's name change, Monaco winner's net worth, dating history
Sir Lewis Hamilton has once again been named as the UK's richest active sportsperson, but the F1 star's life has seen a lot happen away from the track
Formula One ace Sir Lewis Hamilton has once again topped the list as the UK's wealthiest active sportsman, according to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List. The seven-time world champion was previously ranked as the 350th richest individual in the UK, boasting a staggering net worth of £350million.
However, following his lucrative switch from Mercedes to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 Formula One World Championship, his fortune has skyrocketed, with his net worth now estimated at £385m, placing him 324th on the list. Hamilton's surprise move to Ferrari sent shockwaves through the F1 community, especially since he had inked a two-year contract with Mercedes the previous summer before opting to activate a one-year break clause.
The 40-year-old is reportedly set to pocket an eye-watering £50m annually with his new team, having agreed to a two-season contract with an option for a third in 2027. This salary shatters the record for the highest F1 pay packet ever, a record previously held by Max Verstappen last season when he earned a base salary of £47m, reports Wales Online.
Hamilton's earnings could potentially exceed his £50m salary, as this figure is not thought to include performance bonuses, meaning it could significantly increase if the season proves successful. However, after six races with Ferrari, the British star has yet to secure a podium finish, with his fourth placed finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix being his best performance with the Scuderia.
He clinched his last World Championship title in 2020, equalling Michael Schumacher's seven-world-title record and solidifying his status as one of the greatest racing drivers ever. Since then, there's been plenty of buzz around Hamilton's life off the circuit, including whispers about his romantic connections with various A-list celebrities and even chatter about him considering a name change. Mirror Sport takes you through some of these occurrences.
Surprise name change
Hamilton made headlines when he announced a surprise name change. In 2021, after being knighted for his contributions to motorsport, Hamilton brought along his mother Carmen, who separated from his father Anthony during his childhood, to witness his knighthood ceremony conducted by King Charles at Windsor Castle.
The year after his knighthood, Hamilton disclosed his intentions to honour his mother in an impactful way, declaring that he was in the process of legally adopting her maiden name, Larbalestier, into his own as a middle name. He said: "None of you might know that my mum's [sur]name is Larbalestier, and I'm just about to put that in my name.
"Because 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."
It's unknown as to whether Hamilton has followed through with the legal procedures to effectuate the name change.
Lewis Hamilton's dating history
Hamilton's love life continues to draw attention, especially considering his past relationships with prominent stars. Throughout his illustrious career, Hamilton's high-profile relationships and romantic life have been under intense media scrutiny.
He has reportedly dated an array of A-list celebrities over the years, including his well-publicised romance with Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, which lasted for nearly eight years. The on-again, off-again relationship began when they met at the 2007 MTV EMAs but ended for good in February 2015, after three break-ups. At the time, both parties were said to be "devastated" by the split.
Scherzinger moved on to date Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, followed by Scottish rugby international Thom Evans, to whom she is now engaged. Hamilton, meanwhile, has been linked to numerous high-profile figures from the music, fashion, and entertainment industries.
Some of these rumoured connections include supermodels Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, as well as singer Rihanna, all of whom he claimed were simply close friends. Other prominent names associated with the British racing star include singers Rita Ora, Nicki Minaj, and Shakira, alongside model Juliana Nalu, an ex-girlfriend of Kanye West.
More recently, Hamilton sparked romance speculation when spotted having lunch with Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara, 12 years his senior, in New York. TMZ stated the couple were "engrossed in conversation" yet any whispers of romance have been squashed, as it appears they are both friends.
Hollywood film role
Hamilton is set to blaze his trail into Tinseltown later this year with 'F1: The Movie' hitting cinemas. He'll join Hollywood big-hitters like Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem in a fast-paced drama that's got motorsport fans' hearts racing. Pitt plays an ex-F1 driver pushed back onto the track to guide a young hotshot.
Hamilton will be sharing the silver screen with all the speedsters from 2023's F1 teams, appearing as themselves. He has been praised by the directors, not just for his acting, but also as a producer, where he helped ensure the scenery and the happenings were as close to F1 reality as possible.
Director Joseph Kosinski said to Formula1.com: "The first day was really fun. It was me, Brad and Lewis Hamilton at the track together, all of us jumping in cars and driving each other around in sports cars, which was one of those things, I'll never forget having Lewis Hamilton as your driving instructor.
"Brad and Damson are both driving in this film and in order to get them into these race cars, it required months, literally months of training. But what we learned and what Lewis was really interested [in] was seeing, did Brad know how to drive, right? Because if Brad can't drive, this whole film wasn't going to work.
"What Lewis was very happy to discover was that Brad had a lot of just natural ability right from the start, and I don't know where he got that or if he was born with it, and he rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it. But he's just a very talented, naturally gifted driver, which for Lewis after that first meeting gave him a lot of confidence that we might have a shot at pulling this off."
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