Nico Rosberg believes that Lewis Hamilton's split with long-time physio and confidante Angela Cullen, will only add to the Mercedes driver's woes this season.
Hamilton unexpectedly announced that Cullen and himself had parted ways after working seven years together.
The seven-time F1 world champion suggested that the 48-year-old married mom of two was moving on "to pursue her dreams", while Toto Wolff suggested that it was Hamilton who had initiated the split, with the Briton "looking for a change for a while" according to the Mercedes boss.
Regardless, Cullen and Hamilton paid a heartfelt tribute to each other on social media, and made clear that the split had been amicable.
"Angela and I are good," Hamilton told the media in Saudi Arabia. "She’s in a different phase of her life, we’re still super close.
"I keep texting every day, massively supportive and I’m massively supportive of her, so grateful to have had her with me on this journey.
"She’s one of my closest friends and continues to be."
But Rosberg believes that the pair's separation after such a long - and successful - period of collaboration, complicity and friendship isn't good news for Hamilton who is dealing with a second difficult campaign with Mercedes in F1 due to the team's latest design.
The Brackley squad has opted to change the concept of its W14 car, a heavy task that will take months to complete and which inevitably removes Hamilton from the title fight, in a year in which his current contract with Mercedes expires.
"I think that probably makes things even worse because even though the split apparently was amicable, you know, Angela was a real friend I think also to him," Rosberg told Sky Sports F1 in Jeddah..
"And it’s with your trainer that [you spend] most of the time during a race weekend. You end up also going to dinner in a very small, tight group with maybe a family member and a trainer and that’s it.
"And for Lewis not to have her as well, I’m sure it’s going to be not ideal, not so nice.
"I think probably that’s another challenge and difficulty that he has to deal with and get used to."
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