Following the departure of Angela Cullen, Lewis Hamilton has introduced the team that will take on her old role. Cullen, a long-time assistant and physiotherapist, left her job as part of Hamilton’s inner-circle at the start of the 2023 season.
While Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had hinted that the change was Hamilton’s decision, the driver has again insisted that his friendship with Cullen remains strong, even as her old responsibilities are divided between two new physiotherapists.
Hamilton explained the new setup at the F1 Miami Grand Prix: “[Cullen’s] role is shared between two individuals. The setup I have right now is great.
One of the guys, Stevo, has been with me since my first race at McLaren.
He also came here when I moved from McLaren to here as my gearbox technician.
And then he’s moved on to several different roles and he’s helping me right now.” Stevo, also known as Stephen Lord, was Hamilton’s race team coordinator at McLaren.
Introducing the New Members of Hamilton’s Team
Hamilton went on to introduce the other members of his new support structure: “Otherwise I’m working with someone on my training, Kylie. I have Santi here as well, I have Penni. I have a great support structure.” Penni Thow is an American sports and media talent manager.
Despite the changes, much of Hamilton’s support network remains the same behind the scenes.
Hamilton and Cullen continue to stay in touch, planning their next “fun adventure” together.
The seven-time world champion even mentioned the possibility of climbing Mount Everest with Cullen in the future.
“We’re always going to be in each other’s lives, always looking forward to the next fun adventure, whether it be skydiving, whether it be climbing Mount Everest together at some stage, probably – who knows. And just continuing to support each other in our journeys,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton’s Longevity in F1 and Focus on Recovery
When asked about his longevity in F1, Hamilton attributed much of his continued ability to perform in the championship to training and diet.
However, he also emphasized the importance of the willingness to make sacrifices and prioritize recovery between races. “My recovery’s better because I’m more focused on recovery than I ever was before,” he said.
Comparing his current approach to his early years in the championship, Hamilton feels much more adept at prioritizing recovery, especially with the support of the fitness staff around him. “When I was 22, I wasn’t focused on recovery.
I didn’t even know anything about recovery. I was just going home, probably having a pizza, not knowing what I needed to do the next day,” he recalled. “For recovery, I didn’t have any specialists around me to help me navigate that.”
Hamilton’s Evolution and Growth as a Driver
Now, with a more comprehensive understanding of recovery and the support of specialists, Hamilton has come a long way from his early days in F1. He acknowledges the importance of proper diet, replenishing fluids, stretching, and all the other aspects of recovery that he didn’t know about back then. “I wasn’t doing that back then.
But I mean, I don’t know if those drivers back in the day were that fit, so they probably fell off more than us because we train a lot more than they did back then,” he reflected.
