Angela Cullen's year of rest and relaxation (and the rest of it)

Let's start from the start, shall we? It was a year ago, after the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, that Angela Cullen announced that she was leaving Mercedes – and with it Lewis Hamilton's inner circle in the paddock.

The popular New Zealander had worked with Hamilton for his last five world titles, and was a close confidant of the Mercedes (soon to be Ferrari) star.

READ MORE: Cullen makes HUGE return one year after Hamilton split

The news wasn't the kind of front-page splash that Hamilton's 2025 move to the Scuderia was when it was announced, but it's held significance, and no little interest, in the 12 months since.

Nearly a year to the day after her departure from motorsport, Cullen announced last week that she's returning to work with fellow Kiwi Marcus Armstrong in IndyCar. So, what's she been up to in her year of rest and relaxation?

READ MORE: Vettel CONFIRMS F1 comeback and reveals what's holding it up

The departure

As you can read on esteemed Formula 1 website 'GPFans' here, Cullen announced her departure on 17th March 2023, accompanied by a gushing Instagram post from Lewis Hamilton, including the line 'I am a stronger athlete and a better person because of her'.

Let's be very clear here – Cullen didn't leave because of some kind of rift between the pair. How do we know? Hamilton himself insisted in the days following the split that she was still 'one of his closest friends' who he exchanged texts with every day.

His personal relationships mirroring his eating habits, there was no beef.

First steps

What do you do when you've just left a long-term and presumably fairly well-paying job? You do some adventuring and enjoy your freedom!

Within the month, the thrill-seeking Antipodean was taking her first solo paragliding flight, because what's the point of being able to do that if you're not actually going to follow through?

In between more protestations from Hamilton that the pair remain 'stuck together' (apparently they still have a joint skydive planned), Cullen fulfilled something of a personal dream (another one!) by meeting the 'single most influential person' with regards her life and outlook, vegan endurance athlete Rich Roll (yep, nobody who's been on the internet is surprised he didn't go with Rick).

Speaking of influencing people, Cullen herself worked off the late-notice cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to encourage her half a million Instagram followers to join her for a 'collective yoga' session at the planned race time, adding 'If you can’t join, get out in nature, dance, meditation, run, walk, swim!'

READ MORE: Adrian Newey given HUGE 'offer by F1 rivals to leave Red Bull'

Adventures

As the summer drew on, Cullen hadn't stopped moving – from her paragliding trips to team-ups with vegan influencers – and then off to Indonesia to 'find her tribe' at the Bali Training Centre.

She went relatively quiet when it came to new experiences for the rest of the year, although she was always on hand to cheer on her former team, Hamilton, and his family, before entering the new year hinting at 'dreaming big' with a 'desire for change'.

She even hinted that her 'paradise' includes some Mercedes involvement as people got their 2024 calendars out of their cellophane wrapping, with some hoping that meant an imminent return to the Silver Arrows. However...

The Armstrong era

Yep, not so much! Almost a year to the day after her departure from the Formula 1 paddock, Cullen popped up in nominal rival series IndyCar to support her countryman Armstrong in his first full season at Chip Ganassi Racing.

She joined up with his camp for the $1 Million Challenge event at the Thermal track in California, posting about her excitement for the event...while, yes, making sure she got a mention in for her 'boys in Aussie', with Mercedes racing the Australian Grand Prix on the weekend.

Where does this leave Cullen's future with Mercedes? Money on the table, not a clue. More money on the table, every clue. It feels increasingly unlikely that she's going to head back to her old team just when her great friend's about to leave for pastures new.

Will she go back to the team after Hamilton leaves, putting her in direct opposition with him? Never rule anything out, but the smart money would be that it's joining the Brit at Ferrari or nothing. With new partnerships blossoming all the time, maybe the full-time F1 door has gently closed.

READ MORE: Cullen speaks out on EXCITING new partner after Hamilton split

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