Lewis Hamilton and Angela Cullen recently announced their decision to end their professional relationship after seven years together.
With cryptic messages dished out by both parties regarding why they would no longer be working together, many fans felt there was more to the story than what met the eye.
This was later clarified by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who claimed that it was indeed Hamilton who wanted a change and that eventually led to the decision of ousting Cullen.
Over the years, they had built an iconic friendship, and it was normal to see Cullen cheer Hamilton on from the paddock during race weekends.
While that is not the case anymore and Hamilton has often cut a lonely figure in the aftermath of this split, one of the predecessors to Cullen has opened up on what it is like to work with the seven-time world champion.
Four years before Cullen was hired, Hamilton availed the services of Antii Veirula.
The Finn used to accompany Hamilton during his McLaren days before their partnership came to an end and now works with a former teammate of Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas.
Aother one with @LewisHamilton & Antti Vierula. (sorry bad quality shot had only cr*p mobilphone camera) pic.twitter.com/TdQRRotm
— Sabine (@ArtSaSch) July 23, 2012
Vierula was largely impressed with the manner in which Hamilton conducted himself and the amount of dedication he had towards improving his skill-set.
One thing that really impressed Vierula was the manner in which Hamilton “got the best out of everyone” around him.
Speaking with Grosvenor Sport, Vierula explained what it was like to work with the Stevenage-born driver.
“To be very honest, I liked working with Lewis – it was a joy,” he said.
“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.”
The compliments didn’t end there from Vierula.
“He would work hard getting answers from engineers, giving his opinion about what he thinks is right. He had a brilliant will to improve,” he said.
Cullen and Hamilton shared a great partnership
Even though they had a professional relationship, Cullen and Hamilton were known to be very close friends as well.
The duo even shared ‘Loyalty’ tattoos and Hamilton himself has spoken about how she remains one of his closest friends despite the end of their on-track adventures.
They may not be working together anymore, but Hamilton spoke about how she ‘was the best thing to ever happen to him’ in a recent interview.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of people… and she’s the single hardest-working woman that I get to be around. She’s focused, selfless, and she makes my weekends peaceful,” he said.
Regardless of however Hamilton was faring on the track, it was almost always Cullen who would offer him the required emotional support.
Given her background as a physiotherapist, Cullen also helpedHamilton greatly during the 2022 season when the Mercedes driver was struggling physically on account of the porpoising issues plaguing his team’s car.
“I think it’s important in life to put positive people around you,” Hamilton said.
“You can’t be going around with deadweights, you can’t be going around with people who don’t inspire you to be better and lift you up when you’re down.”
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