Marcus Armstrong reveals Angela Cullen's impact on his IndyCar career before she reunited with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong has shared how Lewis Hamilton's physiotherapist and trainer, Angela Cullen, helped him in his racing career during her two-year sabbatical from F1. Cullen worked with the seven-time F1 champion and Mercedes for seven years from 2016 to 2022.

Ahead of the 2023 season, Hamilton announced that the New Zealander would no longer be by his side. He shared that Cullen was leaving to "pursue her dreams," but neither of them mentioned the exact reason.

Later that year, she linked up with her compatriot Marcus Armstrong, who was in his rookie year in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing. Angela Cullen helped him work on the mental side of training, and shortly after, a mutual sponsor connected them, deepening their professional relationship.

Armstrong appeared on a recent episode of the 'Quadcast' podcast released on Wednesday, December 17. He spoke about his relationship with Cullen, saying [58:35 onwards]:

"I was very lucky to work with Angela Cullen last year, and she taught me a lot about eliminating distractions. Motorsport is one of those things that there's so many distractions outside of racing, and a lot of people get caught up with the lifestyle and the glitz and glamour of the sport. But in reality, you need to perform, right? So she taught me a lot about just eliminating those distractions. We even had a policy where it's like, if it doesn't deliver lap time, don't do it."

Marcus Armstrong parted ways with Angela Cullen earlier this year, after Lewis Hamilton invited her back to his side before starting a new journey with Ferrari.

Marcus Armstrong still "very close" with Angela Cullen despite her return to F1

Marcus Armstrong greets fans at the IndyCar Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

Marcus Armstrong joined Meyer Shank Racing in 2025 and had an impressive first season with the team. The team benefited from its technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing and facilitated the Kiwi driver towards his best season in IndyCar, with an eighth-place finish in the standings.

He secured 11 Top 10 finishes in 17 races, which included two Top 5 finishes, the second of which was a podium in Race 2 of the Iowa doubleheader. He credited Angela Cullen for bringing such a major shift in his performance on the aforementioned podcast, saying:

"She went back with Lewis this year, but we're still very close, and I was lucky to have that experience. And I feel like that's also a reason why I sort of made a big jump this year in terms of performance. Was just like, you really have to go and earn that result. You can't just expect it."

In mid-August, Meyer Shank Racing extended Marcus Armstrong's contract to continue driving the No. 66 Honda through 2026.

Edited by Yash Kotak