Lewis Hamilton’s former physiotherapist and confidante Angela Cullen has given some insight into the gruelling preparations drivers must go through to best ready themselves for race weekends.
For years, Cullen was seen by Hamilton’s side around the world in F1 paddocks, helping the seven-time champion as his performance coach and close friend.
In March 2023, it was announced that the 50-year-old would no longer be working alongside the Mercedes driver, though the two have remained on good terms.
Cullen has been working in the United States in 2024 in a similar role with IndyCar driver and fellow New Zealander Marcus Armstrong.
Angela Cullen and Lewis Hamilton worked closely together
Lewis Hamilton no longer has Angela Cullen by his side at races
Cullen reveals how drivers prepare for race weekends
The physicality of motorsport racing is well-documented, though the training required to reach and maintain such levels of fitness is less widely-known.
Cullen has a long history in physiotherapy, obtaining a degree in health science and physiotherapy from the Auckland University of Technology.
She went on to work with UK Athletics and the British Olympic Team, and later began working with Hamilton in 2016.
“Training is pretty stable throughout the season,” she explained on the IndyCar YouTube channel at Laguna Seca.
“You’re obviously focusing – you know the demands of the heavy races – so that’s what your training goals are.
“But, training bits in and around their busy schedules, they generally train twice a day. I know he [Armstrong] does an hour cardiovascular and then he does a weight session. Some days he might do two weight sessions.
“Generally, doing around four hours of training a day specific for racing.”
Angela Cullen explained the training regimes at Laguna Seca
Asked if non-race weekends and breaks between racing meant it time to relax, Cullen explained that it was actually the opposite.
“That’s when they can get their big sessions in because that’s when they’ve got time to recover,” she added.
“Race recovery, nutrition and training are the three biggies, right? So they’re always balancing ‘how much do I need to sleep?’ with ‘how much do I need to train?’ and making sure they are always re-fuelling at the same time.
“Coming into race weekends, they taper off a little bit, they rest a little bit more to make sure that they’re fully recovered so they’ve got the energy for the mental game as well as the physical game over a race weekend.
“It’s always a really fine balance,” she concluded.
Cullen’s partnership with Hamilton helped him to a further three drivers’ titles with Mercedes, and the 39-year-old shows no signs of slowing down as he prepares to join Ferrari in a multi-year deal.
Armstrong’s training regime has helped his second season in IndyCar, as the Kiwi sits 14th in the standings with a maiden podium to his name with Chip Ganassi Racing.