Nico Hulkenberg, 37, ends longest ever wait for F1 podium
Fan favourite F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg finally fulfilled his dream of taking a podium after nearly 240 race starts.
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While Lando Norris fended off his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri for the British Grand Prix win at Silverstone, it was the Stake Sauber driver who took an emotional third place.
The German driver, 37, has been in and out of the championship for 15 years and, while he has won the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours, a place on the Formula One podium seemed cursed.
While not quite Brad Pitt’s character getting back behind the wheel in the recent F1 film, there was something Hollywood about Hulkenberg’s plight and ultimate success.
He had driven from 19th on the grid, making use of the uncertain conditions, to work his way up the field.
He said afterwards: “I feel happy, I feel relieved… I also feel pretty empty right now. It has been an emotional rollercoaster this weekend, being almost last on the grid. A pretty bad day to one of the best days of my career. It’s a lot to take in.”
“That race was intense with all the change of conditions,” he added. “While I am happy and relieved, I am also looking forward to being home.”
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How long has Nico Hulkenberg been in Formula 1?
Hulkenberg first raced in 2010 and has driven for Williams, Renault, Force India, Aston Martin, and now Haas before joining Sauber at the beginning of the season.
He has made 239 grand prix starts - having been on the scene for the entire period, although he was a reserve driver from 2020-2022.
Until now, he had taken a pole position and two fastest laps but his best finish had been fourth.
What is the longest time that an F1 driver has gone without a win?
Unfortunately for Hulkenberg, he does still hold this title!
The record number of races for a driver before their first win is the 190 that Sergio Perez completed before taking the top step in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
Andrea de Cesaris started 208 grand prixs but did not win. Hulkenberg’s countryman Nick Heidfeld had 13 podiums and two pole positions in 183 starts but did not win a race.
Carlos Sainz waited 101 races before getting his first podium, which puts him second on the list of longest waits. He would stand on the podium a further 10 times before his first win.
Who now has the record of most races without a podium?
Adrian Sutil started 128 grand prixs from 2007 to 2014 but never stepped onto the podium, his best result being fourth.
Yuki Tsunoda has the most entries without a podium of current active drivers, starting 99 races and having the best finish of fourth. He finished 15th at Silverstone.