Nico Hülkenberg held a record that no Formula 1 driver wants to hold. But after a chaotic race he can finally cheer.
They jumped in a circle, they called his name and in the end there were finally champagne: after the end of the Formula 1 race in Silverstone English, Nico Hülkenberg and his clean team had no stopping.
Previously, the now 37-year-old had mastered an extremely chaotic race Sunday on the rainy traditional course with all his experience-and secured the first podium of his long Formula 1 career with third place. It is the end of a period of suffering in record length.
It has been 15 years ago that Hülkenberg debuted in Formula 1. In 2010 he came to the premier class of motorsport as the winner of the GP2 youth series (today Formula 2) as the new driver of the Williams racing team. At that time he was still one of seven German drivers in the field, 15 years later he is the only remaining German in Formula 1. In the meantime, much has also happened in Hülkenberg’s career.
The second commitment to the Sauber racing team is already the fifth different station as a regular driver for him. He was used as a replacement driver for two other teams. However, none of the teams could provide him with a car that made it possible for him to fight the top positions.
If Hülkenberg was there at the front, he also made mistakes. For example in Brazil in 2012, when he even cited a chaotic rain race at times, but then initially lost the lead due to an error and trying to recapture it, crashed and fell far back.
Another podium chance was offered at the 2019 Germany Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring. Once again it was a rain race in which Hülkenberg with his Renault was in second place. Later he fell back to fourth place and made third place in his hunt for third place, which promoted him from the route. His dream of the podium at home race ended in the route limitation.
It was mistakes like this, the top teams always stopped giving Hülkenberg a cockpit. Even more bitter: At the end of the 2019 season, he even lost his regular place at Renault – and also found no other. Hülkenberg’s Formula 1 career seemed at the end, the dream of the podium finally burst.
But the native of Emmerzer stayed on the ball. In the coming years, he recommended himself again for a cockpit in the premier class of motorsport through isolated missions as a replacement driver. In 2023, after three seasons away, the time had come: The Haas racing team brought Hülkenberg back as a regular driver. As a result, he took his chance, showed strong performances in a inferior car and brought the team forward from the last place to midfield.
At the current season, the again change: the clean racing team, which will be taken over by the German car manufacturer Audi from the coming season, advertised Hülkenberg to advance his project. For the 2025 season, however, the change initially looked like a clear step backwards, since Sauber ended the 2024 season in the last place in the team classification.
But Hülkenberg convinced away from the start, scored numerous points for the Swiss racing team – and now finally managed the crowning glory in the rain of Silverstone. In the final rounds, the German even kept none other than record world champion Lewis Hamilton at a distance, who chased his first podium in Ferrari in front of a home crowd.
Hülkenberg can now take off his negative record of 238 races without a podium. In the 239th attempt it finally worked – even though, he started the race from the penultimate place. According to the race, he showed himself enthusiastically.