Stephen Lord has replaced Angela Cullen, Lewis Hamilton’s former physical trainer. Coordinator of Mercedes F1, he was requested by the seven-time world champion to replace his former trainer, particularly during race weekends.
Lord had known Hamilton at McLaren and that is why the Briton wanted to work with him, but Toto Wolff was initially against this idea, given the coordinator’s other missions within the team.
“I started playing a supporting role in Saudi Arabia last year, and it lasted, which I kind of suspected, but I didn’t say anything” Lord said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.
“It’s actually very nice and, even though I’ve known him for a long time, it’s given me a better understanding of who he is. We follow an identical process every race, regardless of our starting point, whether it’s about pole or 15th place.”
“I think he needs a rhythm and a process that he knows is always the same, but he introduces elements into that process. He needs to be in a certain state of mind to go up in the car, like a state of elevation.”
“I think he generates a form of concentration by creating a certain amount of nervous energy – and that’s another thing, I still find it incredible that he has the enthusiasm for this work, despite the fact that he succeeded in everything.”
“He’s still nervous every time he gets in the car before the start of a race, and he often asks me, as we’re getting ready, is he putting on his kit, his helmet, are we doing all the harnesses .”
“He often asked me ‘are you nervous today?’. ‘Yes, I’m nervous’ is the correct answer. I’m not always nervous, but it depends on how late we are on the starting grid that day .”
Unlike other athletes, Hamilton has no superstitions about his preparation, but a precise ritual: “I would say he’s not superstitious. There’s a rhythm to the things he does in this process, but I wouldn’t say he’s superstitious at all. He’s not particularly attached to one helmet or a particular pair of gloves.”
“He tends to wear two pairs of gloves per weekend. He wears the same gloves during free practice and qualifying. He likes to have a new pair of gloves for the race, but I don’t think he It’s a superstition – I think he just prefers to have a new pair of gloves.”
