Nico Hulkenberg arrived at the British GP with the record of the most race starts without standing on the podium. After exiting in the first part of qualifying on Saturday, the German wouldn’t have dreamed that he would stand on the rostrum for the first time in his F1 career.
Hulkenberg has come close to standing on the podium in previous seasons. His best chances were in mixed conditions, like the British GP this season. And by being on the right tyre at the right time, Hulkenberg broke his duck on his 239th attempt.
Nico Hulkenberg provides a wet-weather masterclass at the British GP
Nico Hulkenberg started the British GP from P19, the last driver on the grid. However, the German made no mistakes and chose the correct tyre strategies in the mixed conditions. And he produced a masterclass to record his first podium in F1.
The shouts of “Nico, Nico, Nico” were shouted by the Sauber mechanics before the podium celebrations began. The team, normally languishing at the bottom, also secured its first podium since the 2012 Japanese GP.
After the race, Hulkenberg said: “It has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? I always knew we have it in us, I have it in me somewhere. What a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend, it’s pretty surreal to be honest.”
🚨Nico Hulkenberg after finishing 3rd:
“It feels good. It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”
“But I always knew we have it in us, I have it in me, somewhere.”
“What a race. Coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend.”
“It’s pretty surreal, to be… pic.twitter.com/pAUzZlQzBh
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 6, 2025
“Not sure how it all happened but obviously crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. I think we were just on it, the right calls, the right tyres, the right moment, made no mistakes and yeah, quite incredible.”
Hulkenberg drove an incredible race, where he made no mistakes while others struggled to keep it on the road. This result also pushes Sauber up to seventh in the championship, in a car which has outscored Red Bull over the last four races.
How did Nico Hulkenberg achieve a podium finish at the British GP?
Nico Hulkenberg had it all to do to challenge for points, let alone stand on the podium at Silverstone. Sauber had been one of the slowest cars all weekend, as shown when both cars were eliminated in Q1.
Hulkenberg opted to start the race on the intermediate tyres. George Russell and Charles Leclerc, among others, boxed after the formation lap for dry tyres on a damp track. The intermediate tyre was the correct choice, and the veteran racer stayed out of trouble as others collided and spun.
When other drivers pitted for dry tyres under the first VSC, Hulkenberg stayed on the intermediate tyre. This was again the right decision as the rain hit back again. This time, much harder. Just before the rain hit, Nico boxed for fresh intermediate tyres, gaining him an advantage on the field that pitted a lap later. This left Hulkenberg in fifth place.
😱| HE HAD TO WAIT FOR IT, HE GOT VERY CLOSE A FEW TIMES…
BUT TODAY NICO HULKENBERG IS A GRAND PRIX PODIUM FINISHER!!!!!!#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/5AIye4sSR4
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 6, 2025
After two safety cars were thrown in quick succession, Hulkenberg was still in P5. However, on the second restart, Max Verstappen spun around, putting Hulkenberg up to fourth. He then chased down third-placed Lance Stroll and overtook the Canadian to move into the podium places.
Further behind, a recovering Lewis Hamilton lost a lot of time trying to pass Pierre Gasly. The Brit was closing in on Nico, and then Ferrari boxed Hamilton onto the soft tyres, as his intermediate tyres began to wear. Hulkenberg stayed out an extra lap, which was the right call. He pulled out four seconds to Hamilton, a gap the seven-time world champion couldn’t close. This left Hulkenberg to break his unwanted record and finally taste the champagne on the rostrum.
