Boost for Lewis Hamilton as right-hand man and trusted friend returns to inner circle

Lewis Hamilton has received a boost ahead of the 2024 F1 season with the return of his former right-hand man Marc Hynes.

Hynes, the 1999 British Formula 3 champion, will be “solely focused on racing activities” and will accompany Hamilton to races and support him trackside, The Telegraph report.

The seven-time world champion had worked closely with Hynes for five years during a purple patch of success for Hamilton.

After winning four of his seven world titles while working alongside Hynes, who helped run the ‘Project 44’ management company that looks after Hamilton, he later departed on the eve of the 2021 season.

At the time of their split, Hamilton insisted the parting was amicable, referring to Hynes as “one of my best friends”.

Hamilton went on to reshuffle his management team following Hynes’s exit, bringing in Penni Thow, the founder and chief executive of Copper.

Thow has assisted Hamilton with several ventures including ‘Project 44’, the launch of his merchandise brand ‘Plus 44’, non-alcoholic tequila Almave and the upcoming F1 film starring Brad Pitt.

Despite the contract with Copper expiring at the end of last year, Hamilton is set to continue to work with Thow on some projects, according to The Telegraph.

“The management agreement between Penni Thow and her company Copper with Lewis Hamilton came to its natural end in December 2023, after the expiry of a fixed term," a spokesperson for Hamilton told the publication. 

“Over the course of the partnership, Penni and her team have supported Lewis’s entrepreneurial vision and together they have launched several exciting ventures. While the management agreement has ended, Copper will remain working with Lewis on some of these joint projects to ensure their continued development and success.

“Over the coming months, Lewis will expand his company Project Forty Four, which was set up in 2014, and will be making exciting appointments and announcements as he continues to grow his entrepreneurial business and investment interests.

“Lewis is looking forward to the beginning of the new Formula One season and he will be working with Marc Hynes, his long-term friend and former colleague who will be providing his expertise to assist Lewis on the track.

“Marc will be solely focused on racing activities and supporting Lewis’s commitment to bringing the fight back to the top spot.”

The return of one of Hamilton's most trusted confidants to his inner circle will provide the 39-year-old’s preparations ahead of the new campaign with a welcome boost.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team will launch their new W15 challenger on February 14 at Silverstone, exactly a week before pre-season testing gets underway in Bahrain.