Lewis Hamilton gave a fresh update on who may replace his long-serving physiotherapist and ally Angela Cullen following her departure from the Formula 1 paddock.
Two weeks ago, the Mercedes star announced that Cullen had departed her role after seven years of working together. On top of her role as his physio, she also acted as Hamilton's confidant and rock as one of his very closest allies in the world.
But now he must find that support from elsewhere with Cullen no longer in the paddock. Nevertheless, as he told reporters ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton is still in regular contact with her.
He said: "Angela is living her life right now. She's got so many ideas of things she wants to do. We message pretty much every day. We are still going to skydive together. We are always going to be in each other's lives.
"We're stuck with each other, unfortunately, or fortunately! We've been through thick and thin. I am grateful our relationship is as good as it is. We've probably had one of the longest relationships, I would say, in the sport.
"I am incredibly grateful for her, I love her dearly. I think now I have got one of the guys, Stevo, who has been with me since my first race with McLaren, is helping me out as well."
Hamilton feels it is only natural to grow so close to a physio, given how much time you spend working with them to stay at the peak of your powers. He pointed to one of his former colleagues Aki Hintsa, who worked with the Brit in his early F1 career at McLaren but later died in 2016.
He said: "When I started in F1, my dear friend Aki – he passed away from cancer – had a huge influence on me, getting into a team and started up this company that was servicing athletes. Pretty much all the drivers use Hintsa.
"For medical, trainer applications, physios, stuff like that. It's an incredibly challenging role for anyone in those positions. It's a lot of travelling, a lot of time away from family. You grow incredibly close together – during your weekends or where you're travelling, it's usually you or your trainer or physio. It's incredibly intimate in that sense, you become great friends."
