Angela Cullen credited as “guiding force” by new IndyCar driver she trains

The impact of Angela Cullen has been detailed by Marcus Armstrong, the first driver she has trained since Lewis Hamilton.

Cullen and Hamilton were an inseparable part of F1 grands prix for seven years until they parted ways last year.

Hamilton’s former physio has since returned to motorsports in the IndyCar paddock working with Armstrong.

Armstrong told PA about her: “I was quite surprised because frankly, after spending several years in F1, you’d think you’d sort of want to not be involved in motorsport and just sort of take a break.

“But it’s quite the opposite.

“She’s extremely passionate about the sport and when we started to talk casually, we definitely started to vibe and just sort of we were on the same wavelength.”

Armstrong knew he needed to improve his physical fitness for his first full-time IndyCar season when he was put in touch with Cullen.

They were both back home in their native New Zealand when the alliance formed.

“She has all the experience in the world,” Armstrong said.

“She’s seen championships won, she’s seen how it’s done by Mercedes and all of that.

“So having her on board is a source of inspiration and guidance and motivation.

“We’ve been working together not that long and I don’t even know how I managed races without her.

“Because she helps me to first off eliminate the distraction, because there’s so many distractions in this sport.

“And our whole goal is performance driven. If it’s not delivering performance, then we’re not going to do it.

“So she’s very much a guiding force when it comes to what we do on a daily basis,.

“She’s not exactly a physio, let’s say. She’s more than that.

“And if it’s not delivering lap time, we’re not going to do it, plain and simple.

“We’re still finding our feet. We’re still getting that foundation set.

“But ultimately we want to build a routine and a work ethic that is sustainable to where we can challenge for race wins and championships for years on end.

“To also have the reassurance from her that she’s obviously seen championships won before, that this is the right way to go about it — we’re on a journey.”