Lewis Hamilton pushes physio in river after she bet against Mercedes F1 star

Lewis Hamilton gleefully launched Mercedes physiotherapist Angela Cullen into a river after she promised to take the plunge had he been able to secure a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Cullen, whose friendship the seven-time world drivers’ champion has previously described as one of the greatest things in his life, finished third behind Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz on Sunday (June 19) in Montreal.

Mercedes then posted the full video on their social media channels with the caption: “Get in there, Ang! Angela said if Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium she’d jump into the river. She just needed a push.”

With other members of the team laughing, Angela says: “It’s really cold! I did say I was going to do it though.”

Hamilton had said of the result: “I’m ecstatic. I didn’t expect this. It feels really special, especially as it was where I got my first Grand Prix win.

“It has given me and the team a lot of hope. There’s more to come from this car. The potential is truly there if we can get the setup right.”

Back in 2020, Hamilton spoke openly about his close relationship with Angela – who is a former field hockey player.

He said: “People for sure won’t understand it, naturally, because they see it from a distance, but she has been one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in my life.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of people… and she’s the single hardest-working woman that I get to be around.”

Adding: “She’s focused, selfless, and she makes my weekends peaceful.

“Every day I wake up, whatever time it is, she’s just positive – never a single day has she been negative, so that’s very, very important.

“I think it’s important in life to put positive people around you. You can’t be going around with deadweights, you can’t be going around with people who don’t inspire you to be better and lift you up when you’re down.

“You need to be around people who can do that for you, and she’s one of them.”

Credit: DailyStar,CN,Getty Images.