Lewis Hamilton admits he wants to give his family more reasons to cheer in the coming years after celebrating his 30th birthday on Wednesday.

The Brit claimed his second Formula One world title last year with a stunning display of driving in a season-long head-to-head battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg.

He trailed the German flyer for a few months before pulling away from his great rival and then making sure of the title with his 11th Grand Prix victory of the year in Abu Dhabi’s season finale.

The Stevenage-born ace then went on to pick up the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in December to crown a magnificent year in his life.

He is currently enjoying some well-earned rest and relaxation but will soon be back in action as testing begins ahead of the 2015 campaign, which gets under way in Australia on March 15.

Hamilton has tried to keep his feet on the ground after his heroics last year and he paid an emotional tribute to his family on his birthday.

“I want to thank my beautiful mum for bringing me into this world lovingly, and my dad for being such a great father,” he said. “I hope I get to see many more years and create more memories.”

Hamilton is reportedly negotiating his own contract extension with Mercedes after parting company with his management team last year, but team boss Toto Wolff has stated that he does not see any problems with the world champion staying and expects him to enjoy further success in the next few years.