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When he crossed the line at the end of lap 52 at Silverstone, Nico Hulkenberg shed an unwanted record, and replaced it with a much more positive one.
The German had been comfortably holding the record for the most Formula 1 starts without a podium finish in history, sitting at 238 prior to lights out in the British Grand Prix. When the checkered flag fell, that record returned to Adrian Sutil on 128, and Hulkenberg can now boast the longest run before securing a first podium at 239.
To put his latest achievement into context, Hulkenberg takes over from Carlos Sainz as having waited the longest for a first podium, and Sainz achieved the result on his 101st start.
At 37 years 10 months and 17 days old, he also becomes the oldest driver to score their first podium since George Follmer at 39 years three months and 10 days at the Spanish Grand Prix 52 years ago.
For all the stats, though, what really showed what a special achievement it was for Hulkenberg was the response of the Silverstone crowd. Despite Lewis Hamilton chasing him down trying to secure his first podium in Ferrari red, in front of his adoring fan base, the noise when Hulkenberg emerged onto the third step was remarkable.
“It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?” Hulkenberg said after jumping out of his Sauber. “But I always knew we have it in us; I had it in me somewhere. So, what a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. It’s pretty surreal, to be honest.
“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 just were really on it – the right calls, the right tires at the right moment. Made no mistakes and, yeah, quite incredible.
“I think I was in denial until probably the last pit stop, and then when I heard we gapped Lewis quite a bit with the one extra lap, I was like, ‘OK, this is good, this is some breathing space,’ but then he was catching quite quickly. So the pressure was there. It was an intense race, but like I said, we didn’t crack. No mistakes. And obviously really, really happy with that.
“I was thinking that obviously he’s going to give it all here in front of his home crowd. And I was like, ‘Sorry guys, but it’s also my day, I’ve got to stick my neck out’ and I’m super happy. Thank you very much for the great energy and support here every year.”
Hulkenberg and his Stake Sauber team celebrate. Kym Illman/Getty Images)
If you thought that was energy from the crowd, the Sauber garage was something to behold. When Hulkenberg returned to celebrate with his team, he joined a heck of a party that saw the entire group bouncing up and down to the song ‘Freed from Desire’ – changing the lyrics to ‘Nico’s on Fire’ – and reveling in a first podium for the Swiss-based outfit in 13 years.
Sauber COO and CTO Mattia Binotto kept a largely watching brief on the celebrations, but he did sneak into the garage and pull a very large cigar from his pocket to hand to Hulkenberg with a smile.
His team principal Jonathan Wheatley described the performance as “one of the best I’ve seen of any driver ever,” while another team member suggested there was an additional reason for the result proving so popular.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s race engineer Jose Manuel Lopez Garcia summed it up perfectly, saying it was a result that reminds everyone that someone who puts everything into the sport and never gives up can get paid back what they deserve, even if it feels like it’s never going to happen.
Mixed weather called for maximum execution, and Hulkenberg did so to perfection. Andy Hone/Getty Images
And that resonates with Hulkenberg’s peers on the grid, too, even if they have stood on podiums, taken victories and even secured championships on multiple occasions.
“It’s the first podium for him, so super happy for him,” Fernando Alonso said. “One of the best drivers on the grid that never had the opportunity to have a proper car underneath and I’m very, very, truly happy for him, so I hope he enjoys today.”
Carlos Sainz described Hulkenberg as always one of the top five drivers in F1 without the results to show for it, while Charles Leclerc called the result “incredible.” Even Max Verstappen, after a tough run to fifth place from pole, was full of praise for the German.
“Fantastic, I’m really happy for him,” Verstappen said. “It was very nice to see, because I guess when you’re in F1 for such a long time, not being on the podium and being so close a few times, I think this is a pretty special moment.
“Nico, I think he’s quite relaxed in that sense, right? He knows what he can do. He has shown that also in the past, before F1 and in F1, but for whatever reason, it didn’t work out up until now.
“So, for sure, he will take it, and he will be very happy but I think he knows anyway how good he is – a podium does not suddenly say that you are a lot better. It’s just nice for him to at least be on an F1 podium.”
Despite a frustrating day of his own, Verstappen was among the first to congratulate The Hulk. Andy Hone/Getty Images
And the manner that Hulkenberg finally broke through made it all the more remarkable. 19th spot is the lowest starting position to score a podium from in Sauber’s history, and amid all the celebratory scenes, he was struggling to comprehend how it happened.
“From a massive low yesterday being almost last, literally on the grid, to this result is kind of surreal,” Hulkenberg admitted. “It’s going to take a few days to process everything and take it all in. Good news is we have two weeks now to enjoy it and to celebrate it properly over the next week before we go again.
“I still remembered how to do it [celebrate on the podium] – I used to do it a lot in the junior stuff and then had to wait for it quite a bit. But it just happened so quick, the race, and you’re still processing that.
“Then so many emotions, so many people coming at you, a lot of positivity, a lot of congratulations. At the moment just happy, relieved. But like I said, it’s going to sink in more over the next few hours and the next few days, and I think I’ll feel the enjoyment even more in the week to come.”
In front of a cumulative crowd of 500,000 over the weekend at Silverstone, and with Lando Norris taking his first home win, and McLaren’s first one-two at the British Grand Prix in a quarter of a century, somehow, it will forever be the day Nico Hulkenberg finally stood on an F1 podium.
