Hamilton Gets New Trainer for 2011 F1 Season

McLaren Mercedes too have made some changes inside their team prior to the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season, and the first important one to surface in the media was the appointment of Finland's Antti Vierula as full-time trainer of 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

In fact, the two have already began working together this winter, having set up a training programme in Colorado. Now that Ham has returned to the team's headquarters in Woking, where he is doing some simulator driving and seat fitting sessions, McLaren have confirmed Vierula officially.

Hamilton's former trainer through the 2010 campaign, Clayton Green, has been promoted within the McLaren organization and has taken up a senior position within McLaren's Human High Performance programme. However, this is not the first time Vierula and Hamilton will be working together, as it was the same Finn that helped the McLaren racer prepare for the 2010 season.

Vierula has been part of the Kuortane Sports Institute in Finland and will work closely with Ham throughout the upcoming campaign, coordinating his track and gym activities and setting up a dietary scheme.

“At McLaren, we're committed to building a team with incredible strength in depth in every department,” said recently McLaren Racing managing director Jonathan Neale about this appointment.

“By appointing Antti to oversee Lewis' trackside fitness regime and Clayton to a senior position at the MTC we're convinced we've assembled the most experienced, capable and committed team to oversee Lewis' training requirements.”