Lewis Hamilton’s former trainer has agreed with Angela Cullen with the two physios praising the seven-time champion. Antti Vierula was Hamilton’s full-time trainer when Hamilton was at McLaren in 2011, taking over from Clayton Green.
However, Vierula stayed at McLaren when Hamilton left the team at the end of the 2012 season. It was around four years later when Hamilton met Cullen with the pair joining forces back in 2016.
Revealing key details about Hamilton away from the track, Vierula stressed the Briton was able to “get the best out of everyone”. Vierula, who now works for Valtteri Bottas, revealed the British F1 ace was good to work with and supported his engineers.
Vierula told Grosvenor Sport: “I liked working with Lewis, it was a joy, he’s a passionate guy on the track. I enjoyed working with him. He was brilliant in getting everything out of the car and engineers, he pushes people to get the best out of everyone.
“He would work hard getting answers from engineers, giving his opinion about what he thinks is right. He had a brilliant will to improve.” The remarks come just weeks after Cullen offered similar praise before she walked away from the paddock.
News of Cullen’s departure at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix came as a major shock after the duo spent seven years together. No reason behind her exit has ever been revealed with Hamilton simply claiming Cullen was off to “follow her dreams”.
But, the pair are understood to have remained friends and keep in touch away from the track. Cullen posted on social media: “And @lewishamilton you GOAT!!
“It’s been such an honour and pleasure to stand along side you I’m so proud of you and everything you have achieved. Thank you for supporting me, believing in me and showing me the limitless potential we all have within us.”
Hamilton confirmed he had replaced Cullen with a series of individuals instead of a single trainer. The 38-year-old commented: “I have a slightly different setup. [Cullen’s old] role is shared between two individuals, the rest of my team is the same. Ange and I were talking just the other day, we stay in contact quite consistently.”
“The setup I have right now is great. One of the guys. Steve-O, 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.”
