via Reuters

Throughout Lewis Hamilton‘s career filled with monumental highs and disastrous lows, there’s one face that’s stuck around unlike any other. Apart from the Briton’s father, it’s always been his physiotherapist, Angela Cullen, who has guided the Mercedes star through the intense physical exertion caused by racing at the highest level of motorsport for years.

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However, when Lewis Hamilton revealed Angela Cullen’s ‘decision’ to call it quits in search of a new ambition, the F1 community would inevitably have to bid their farewell to his beloved trainer as her appearances in the world of open wheel racing have reduced over the weeks following the announcement. Fast-forward to 2024, and Angela Cullen seems to be as Zen as ever. Taking to Instagram, the 49-year-old Kiwi shared a heartfelt message about her future ambitions and took a moment to reflect on all that the new year entails.

Angela Cullen looks forward to a year of new beginnings

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Ever since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s rivalry began heating up in 2016, Angela Cullen has always been by the #44 driver’s side, helping him traverse the incredibly demanding world of Formula 1. This is why her departure came as quite a shock to the LH Army, with no official statement coming from her end for months. While Hamilton had shared an Instagram post, wishing Cullen the best of luck for her future endeavors, the Mercedes Boss would reveal a shocking twist.

It was in fact Lewis Hamilton who had decided to part ways with Cullen. Toto Wolff had earlier shared that Cullen’s departure was highly dependent on Hamilton’s decision to move on from the 7-year relationship with his physiotherapist. He was quoted by Formula 1, “She’s the only one who has a louder voice than a starting car! But, if this is what [Hamilton] decides, we will always absolutely support him, whatever direction he wants to take.”

While it was Hamilton’s words that had made it seem like Angela Cullen was off to chase the sunset and her dreams, it wasn’t until her New Year’s post that we caught a glimpse of the ‘dreams’ and ‘goals’ of the fan-favorite physiotherapist heading into 2024.

She shared, “New Year Always brings the desire for change, The opportunity to Pause, Reflect, Reset…. Celebrate the past, All that has been in our journey that bring us to this moment in time, The present moment. A clean slate, Blank page, Harness this appetite.. The energy of the New year. The excitement and potential of the unknown. Fresh opportunities. Dream big. Be mindful and consistent with good choices. Believe in self. Knowing that…Dreams do come true.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton Expresses Gratitude to Sebastian Vettel for Saving Him in “Brave” Fashion From Horrific Reality of F1

In the post, the Kiwi can be seen meditating with a beautiful coastal backdrop. Looking as peaceful as ever, Cullen captioned the post with a look into her mindset after the split with Hamilton and Mercedes. As Cullen embraced the ‘potential of the unknown’, many of the community members, including the LH Army, wished the Kiwi a successful year ahead and left no stone unturned in expressing just how much they missed seeing Hamilton’s eager aid on the grid. But do you know who replaced the 39-year-old in Lewis Hamilton’s camp?

Who replaced Cullen in Lewis Hamilton’s camp?

A few months ago, Hamilton finally revealed what had been the game plan for his physiotherapy after Angela Cullen’s departure, sharing that the set-up had slightly changed after his seven-year stint with the Kiwi. Instead of one, he now had two individuals working for him in Cullen’s role, and the rest of the team was the same. He was quoted by Mirror UK, “Angela and I were talking just the other day. We’re staying in contact quite consistently.”

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Hamilton also added that the pair were always looking forward to their next adventure together. The Briton also expressed his desire to climb Mt. Everest at some stage with Cullen but reiterated that their aim was to “Just continuing to support each other through our journeys.” This is when Hamilton revealed that he had been working with the gearbox engineer from his Mclaren days who is now in a more personal role. Hamilton added, “He followed me here when I moved from McLaren to here as my gearbox engineer and he’s moved onto several different roles and he’s helping me right now.”

via Reuters

Reflecting on the newfound time he gets to speak with Angela Cullen other than working hours, Hamilton was excited with the change in their dynamic as he stated, “It’s great because we’ve never always had a huge amount of time… the weekends are so busy, you have a little chat in the garage, but now we have a bit of a more exciting journey together. But otherwise I’m working with someone on my training. She’s here, Kylie, and then I have Santi here as well. I have… a great support structure.”

Hamilton revealed that, while he did indeed miss his long-time partner in crime, there was already a team hard at work to get the seven-time champion back up to speed with the likes of Verstappen and Co. While Angela Cullen is clearly excited to head into the new year with new beginnings, will her replacements live up to the precedent set by her since 2016?