SILVERSTONE, England — “Cometh the hour, cometh the person.”
Nico Hülkenberg waited years for his second. On Sunday, he lastly acquired it: the German scoring his first Formula 1 podium and ending one of many sport’s most notorious and unfair data.
Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley had stepped out of the workforce’s storage get together to satisfy media duties when he stated these phrases. Behind him, champagne-soaked workforce members broke into chants of “Nico’s on fireplace” via the storage partitions.
Sauber hadn’t gone to Silverstone anticipating a celebration — the concept of a podium would have appeared ludicrous to anybody with even a passing information of F1. The Swiss workforce had not completed within the high three for the reason that 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. Within the midst of transitioning to Audi forward of a full rebrand in 2026, Sauber completed lifeless final within the constructors’ championship final 12 months with out scoring a single level. The workforce had so little champagne of their fridges that Mercedes and Aston Martin introduced over further bottles simply so they might have fun correctly.
Whereas Sauber had forgotten what it felt like, Hülkenberg may have been forgiven for pondering he would possibly by no means get to really feel it in any respect.
His maiden F1 podium got here on the 239th try, 15 years after his debut on the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. The person who for therefore lengthy had been often called “the person with essentially the most race begins and not using a podium to his title” had flipped his legacy in a single gorgeous afternoon when workforce and driver had mixed completely to grab essentially the most unlikely of outcomes. Real surprises are a rarity in Components 1, however this was pretty much as good of an instance as you possibly can ever discover.
“It has been a very long time coming, hasn’t it,” a surprised Hülkenberg stated instantly after the race. “However I at all times knew we’ve got it in us, I’ve it in me, someplace.”
Not everybody would have agreed.
The German driver’s failure to attain even one podium — with a number of huge alternatives squandered over time, similar to Brazil 2012 or Germany 2019 — had been a stick critics had used to beat him with for years. Most within the paddock discovered it exhausting to fathom how a driver pretty much as good as Hülkenberg may have been that punching bag.
Ex-Purple Bull sporting director Wheatley solely turned Hülkenberg’s boss on April 1 however, like many within the paddock, has been satisfied of his driver’s expertise far longer than that.
“It appears unbelievable to me that we’re all celebrating a podium, because it feels to me like he ought to have been getting all of them his profession,” Wheatley stated. “It appears to be the longest-waited podium ever. He confirmed his class at present, did not put a wheel unsuitable. I’ve thought-about him to be a rare expertise for a really very long time, and I believe I have been constant in saying that to everybody right here. It appeared unbelievable to me that he is by no means achieved a podium in his profession. I believe he confirmed at present what he is able to.”
Hülkenberg’s earlier futility in that division had been exhausting to fathom.
Each sport has its statistical outliers, the athletes who didn’t fairly obtain one thing they might or ought to have finished. In Components 1, a pole place is probably the primary achievement of any worth — Hülkenberg had a type of in his rookie season, on the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, a efficiency that appeared to vindicate the large hype that accompanied his early racing profession — however by way of race outcomes, the rostrum is the naked minimal for a racing driver of any actual significance. Grand prix victories comply with for nice drivers. A world championship for the few elite skills. Loads of good drivers retire with out both of the latter.
Even Components 1’s most well-known “almost males” had boasted otherwise-impressive résumés. In actual fact, some are higher remembered due to their close to misses. Stirling Moss, typically described as the best driver by no means to win a world title, claimed 16 race victories. Rubens Barrichello took 68 podiums however by no means the championship. Nick Heidfeld managed 13 podiums with out ever standing on the highest step. All of them hit not less than one of many milestones that matter.
Hülkenberg, someway, hadn’t. Till Sunday. It was a baffling anomaly. Right here was a driver ok to have began greater than 200 races over 15 seasons, ok to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans (one among motorsport’s final prizes) in his first and solely try in 2015.
He had been one thing of a phenom in junior classes. In karting, Hülkenberg often beat one other younger German of the identical age: Sebastian Vettel, who would go on to win 4 world championships.
On his arrival to Components 1 with Williams, Hülkenberg had been thought-about one of many coming males of motor racing; he had dominated Components BMW in 2005, received the short-lived A1GP championship, after which taken a complete title in GP2 — now Components 2 — in 2009. He referenced his early success on Sunday night within the information convention for the highest three finishers.
Requested the way it had felt to be on the rostrum once more after so lengthy, he stated: “Felt good. I nonetheless remembered how one can do it! Used to do it lots within the junior stuff after which needed to look forward to it fairly a bit.”
Nobody within the paddock ever doubted Hülkenberg’s expertise. His lengthy look forward to a podium wasn’t simply merciless, it baffled those that raced alongside him. Reigning champion Max Verstappen was seen pumping his fists in celebration at Hülkenberg as he handed the Sauber on the conclusion of the race. The Purple Bull driver, an excellent pal of Hülkenberg’s, was fast to level out how overdue it was.
Those that had shared a automotive with him knew what he was able to.
“For me, he is at all times been a top-five driver each time he is been in F1,” stated former Renault teammate Carlos Sainz. “His race execution is unbelievable. I am glad he has this podium to close everybody up. I by no means doubted him.”
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, no stranger to the significance of aggressive equipment in defining the success of a Components 1 profession, stated: “He is among the finest drivers on the grid that by no means had the chance to have a correct automotive beneath him.”
Maybe the one one who would not have been solely thrilled with Hülkenberg’s huge second on Sunday was Adrian Sutil, who now inherits the document for essentially the most F1 race begins and not using a podium. The quantity subsequent to Sutil’s title: 128. Hülkenberg’s had stood at 292. A niche so huge it underlines simply how absurd it was that he needed to wait so lengthy.
The equipment level Alonso alluded to was the worst a part of the Hülkenberg story — the chips by no means appeared to fall in the suitable place. After Williams, he raced for minnows Power India and might need received them the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix — or on the very least scored a podium — had he not collided with Lewis Hamilton within the closing a part of the race. His standout performances for an uncompetitive Sauber in 2013 turned heads within the paddock. He was severely thought-about as Felipe Massa’s alternative at Ferrari, solely to be handed over in favour of returning world champion Kimi Räikkönen — a sliding doorways second if ever there was one.
Power India boss Vijay Mallya introduced Hülkenberg again in 2014 alongside Sergio Pérez, however that partnership solely deepened the frustration. Throughout their time collectively, Power India scored 4 podiums — each single one belonged to Pérez. Probably the most painful was Monaco 2016; a poorly timed pit cease left Hülkenberg trapped in visitors whereas Pérez jumped forward and completed third.
A transfer to Renault, an outfit with world title ambitions, adopted, however the workforce by no means got here near reaching these targets. Right here got here one other painful second. If Brazil 2012 was the one which acquired away, Germany 2019 wasn’t far behind. Within the rain at Hockenheim, Hülkenberg had been working on the entrance when he aquaplaned off the circuit and out of the race. “It hurts and it should harm much more tomorrow,” he stated after that race. Worst of all was that, by then, he already held the document for essentially the most begins and not using a podium. That second appeared to sum why in a nutshell.
That second was additionally the backdrop for one among my very own most uncomfortable moments as a journalist. 4 days later, on the media day for the following race in Budapest, I requested him immediately whether or not that undesirable document performed on his thoughts when he discovered himself in robust positions. He glared at me.
“Does it weigh closely on you?” he snapped again. I reminded Hülkenberg we have been speaking about him. He stared, letting an excruciating silence cling within the air for what appeared like an eternity, as if disgusted the query had even been requested. The response made sense. He was sick of the narrative. However the cause it was requested so typically was exactly as a result of he was so clearly ok. The document lingered and it did not make sense to anybody related to the game.
Even on Friday forward of this British Grand Prix, a fellow journalist interviewed Hülkenberg and requested him whether or not his record-breaking utility nonetheless bothered him. Hülkenberg, by now with a unique perspective as a father and a person having fun with his second stint in Components 1 after a quick spell as a super-sub in 2020, 2021 and 2022, brushed it off.
“It is like a chilly cup of espresso,” he quipped.
Hülkenberg by no means has to listen to that query once more. Given Sauber’s current type — the workforce has outscored Purple Bull previously 4 races and is as much as sixth within the championship — and the rising buzz across the conversion to Audi in 2026, the celebratory days would possibly solely simply be starting for him.