Ted Kravitz is a name synonymous with Formula 1 – despite the man himself having a different moniker when he first started his career.The F1 pit-lane reporter has put as much of his own stamp on motorsport with his unique style as he has on his current surname. Kravitz is now a paddock mainstayGetty The 51-year-old, who has been actively involved in the sport since 1996, is now the leading specialist in a role he largely helped define.His popular Ted’s Notebook segment is a mainstay of Sky Sports F1’s coverage of race weekends, being renowned for its in-depth insights.Therefore, in true Kravitz fashion, talkSPORT got to the bottom of the most intriguing lesser-known part of the Brit – his real name.The London presenter was born Theodore Joseph Nathaniel Slotover, but there is no rock-and-roll reason behind why he became a Kravitz.Instead, he revealed to talkSPORT the story behind his name change while promoting his new book ‘F1 Insider: Notes from the Pit Lane‘.“It’s my mother’s maiden name,” Kravitz confirmed. “Ted is my real name, Theodore if you like, and I take my mother’s maiden name professionally.“I started in radio, and we had a news editor called Marcus White down in Devon.“He didn’t really like my normal, my passport name, and he said, ‘Have you got any other names?’ “I said, ‘Well, my mother’s maiden name is Kravitz’. He said, ‘Oh, Ted Kravitz, that’ll do.’”Kravirz (far left) has been on screen covering F1 races for over two decadesGettyIs Ted Kravitz related to Lenny Kravitz?Sorry to disappoint, F1 fans, that is not the reason behind the surname link.He added: “Too many syllables in my other name. So yeah, we’ve changed it to Ted Kravitz. I’m not sure if it is rock and roll.”Ted Kravitz’s real name“As I say in F1 Insider, it’s the only other name I’ve got,” the F1 legend continued. So if I did want to make up a really cool one, I would have chosen a rather more rock and roll one.”Well, my grandfather, my maternal grandfather, who didn’t have many other Kravitzes in the family line, was very happy that I was carrying on the name.”Kravitz is a master of giving fans a real behind-the-scenes take on the world of F1GettyHe has carved out a popular niche with his ‘Notebook’ segmentGettyTed Kravitz on Lewis HamiltonThe former is closing in on his third decade in F1, having covered almost every Grand Prix and a large percentage of the all-time greats.Revealing the biggest factor which stands out when speaking to champions, he said: “It’s an intensity of focus.“It’s freeing themselves not to get too mentally bogged down in all the stuff that doesn’t matter.”Citing the current master of the mental game, Kravitz told talkSPORT: “The person who does that best is Max Verstappen. “There’s only two things he’s interested in, racing and his family life with his new daughter.“That’s all he’s interested in. He’s not out there trying to hawk around selling luggage or fragrances or anything like that, he’s not interested, he just wants to race – when he’s not racing, he’s doing sim racing. “Freeing up all that mental clutter and just focusing on what’s important is really a signature of champions. “[Michael] Schumacher was the same, [Sebastian] Vettel to an extent. And Lewis Hamilton – Lewis’ focus throughout a weekend is incredible.”