The 2021 Abu Dhabi GP will remain one of the pivotal points in F1 history. The tension of the rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the entire season did not spare anyone. The battle was so intense that even the physiotherapists of both Hamilton and Verstappen were having animosity between them. Bradley Scanes, who left Verstappen after 2023, narrated this anecdote of sharing bad blood with Hamilton’s then-trainer Angela Cullen.
Appearing on the Red Flags podcast, Scanes cited how everyone left the 2021 season knackered and shocked from all the rivalry tensions between Red Bull and Mercedes. He highlighted, “You could feel the… ‘hate’ is a strong word, between every team member of Red Bull and every team member of Mercedes.”
When the hosts asked him if he shared “dirty looks” with Angela Cullen, Scanes replied, “Oh 100%!”. He further elaborated that they are friends now but the 2021 season did not allow them to be “friendly”, courtesy of Hamilton and Verstappen‘s rivalry. The Briton said, “We have a laugh about it now, but you couldn’t be friendly in the moment.”
Scanes also highlighted that the business end of the season really heated things for them. He specifically mentioned how tensions were boiling over during the races in Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The race in Sao Paulo had a lot of controversy over the legality of the rear wing on Hamilton’s car and his resultant grid penalty.
Post that, the several skirmishes and collisions in Jeddah did not please Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. The high tensions in both camps can be summarized well by the fate of Wolff’s broken headphones during the race. Scanes summarized how it was not bearable with the proximity of the garages of both teams.
The atmosphere with consistent banter and interactions between every team member besides the drivers and team bosses drained a lot of mental peace. However, both Scanes and Cullen are now away from the F1 circus, having left their jobs as physios for Verstappen and Hamilton, respectively.
How is Lewis Hamilton managing his fitness after splitting with Angela Cullen?
Lewis Hamilton parted ways with Angela Cullen at the start of the 2023 season. The news came in the period between the Saudi Arabian GP and the Australian GP. The seven-time champion naturally expressed regret over splitting with the Kiwi trainer. He cited her as “one of the greatest things that’s happened” to him.
With Cullen’s departure as the performance coach for Hamilton, he has a new setup for managing his fitness. The Briton revealed that two individuals share her role now. Meanwhile, the rest of his support team remains the same.
About his relationship with Cullen, Hamilton said, “Angela and I were talking just the other day, we’re staying in contact quite consistently.” He highlighted how they have been an integral part of each other’s lives. But that certainly should not stop Cullen from undertaking her new adventures.
The 39-year-old wished that he would continue to have fun experiences with his former trainer in the future. Despite their professional separation, Hamilton hopes they could go skydiving or climbing Mount Everest probably, as is on both of their bucket lists.
About his current trainer who replaced Cullen, the Mercedes driver revealed some details. One of the people is Stevo, who also worked with Hamilton during his McLaren days. Since then, Stevo moved to the Silver Arrows after Hamilton did so in 2013. Meanwhile, Kylie is the other trainer with whom the Briton works on his training.
