How Hülkenberg did it - from P19 to first F1 podium
F1
Hülkenberg's long-awaited first F1 podium at Silverstone was the result of bold strategy, perfect timing, and a faultless drive from 19th on the grid in a race shaped by changing weather and opportunity. Here's how he pulled it off
Nico Hülkenberg‘s drive from 19th on the grid to his first-ever Formula 1 podium at the British Grand Prix was a masterclass in perseverance, strategy, and flawless execution both by the German and his Sauber team.
After 239 race starts without a podium – a record in grand prix racing – Hülkenberg finally broke his drought in dramatic style at Silverstone, delivering a memorable performance that got him a popular top-three finish that was celebrated by almost the entire paddock.
However, even Hülkenberg himself was at somewhat of a loss to explain how he had pulled off the feat in a race that was filled with strategy variables as a result of the changing conditions.
“I don’t think I can comprehend what we’ve just done. Oh my god,” the 37-year-old said on the radio after the chequered flag.
So how did Hülkenberg do it?
The start
Any hopes of a points finish, let alone a podium result, took a hit on Saturday when Sauber struggled to maintain its recent strong form, with Hülkenberg qualifying down in 19th.
The German driver admitted that Silverstone and the rain had affected the car’s performance more than some of its rivals, and so a competitive race was looking unlikely from the bottom of the grid.
Sauber nailed the timing of all its pitstops
The race began in mixed, wet-to-dry conditions, which immediately opened the door for strategic gambles.
From P19 on the grid, Hülkenberg gained a few places right at the start as a result of several drivers diving into the pitlane to change to slick tyres before the lights went off.
The clash between Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson on lap 1 allowed Hülkenberg to climb up another couple of spots as the field coped with the mixed conditions.
As a result, the Sauber driver had moved up to 10th position by lap 3.
The first stop
The first key call of the race by Sauber came on lap 9, when it pitted Hülkenberg for the first time.
While other teams had made their stops earlier and switched to slicks, Sauber was patient enough, giving Hülkenberg a new set of intermediates in his first pitstop, while he was already running in eighth position as other drivers made their stops.
The move was crucial because two laps later, the rain started to hit the circuit hard.
“We pitted from inters to inters,” explained Hülkenberg. “Obviously, it was drying out. The inter was wearing down, the first set from the start, but the team said there’s some rain about. It actually changed within one or two laps from a pretty bright sky to dark clouds, and I was just dropping back.
“I was really struggling with that first set. They said the rain is coming, so I just dived into the pits, to be honest, without thinking too much at the time and then went out and the rain started. It was really good timing.”
The timing of the pitstop was absolutely perfect, and the decision to stay on inters paid off quickly, as Hülkenberg continued to move solidly up the order as rivals lost time by pitting earlier or later than him.
By lap 13, the German had already climbed up to fifth position, at which time the race was neutralised by the safety car as visibility was terrible.
Hülkenberg chased Stroll for many laps before making his move
Grand Prix Photo
“All the stops we made today, they could not have been better. We pitted at the perfect time every single time, which is very rare and difficult to do,” Hülkenberg added. “But it’s just how it happened today, and we really hit that one on the head.”
The second safety car period on lap 19 saw Max Verstappen spinning before the restart, allowing Hülkenberg to gain yet another place, to fourth behind Lance Stroll.
The Sauber driver spent 21 laps chasing the Aston Martin and eventually made the pass to move into third place on lap 33.
“It just took a while to find a way through,” Hülkenberg said the his Stroll move. “But I wasn’t even really thinking about the podium there. I was just about keeping it going and making no mistakes.”
The track continued to dry up and now Hülkenberg’s threat came in the form of a Ferrari, as Lewis Hamilton kept charging towards the front.
At that point, it looked inevitable that the Briton would pass the Sauber and take away the podium position, as the gap kept shrinking.
The second stop
Then it was time for the entire field to move back to slicks, and again Sauber nailed the timing of its pitstop.
Ferrari pitted Hamilton on lap 41, but the Briton went straight off the track as he rejoined, giving Hülkenberg some extra breathing space.
From long-overdue milestones to costly misjudgements, the 2025 British Grand Prix delivered plenty of drama and emotion
By
Pablo Elizalde
The Sauber driver pitted a lap later, again at the perfect moment, and returned to the track with a healthy lead.
Hamilton had been two seconds behind Hülkenberg before the pitstops, but the gap was stretched to 10 seconds after they both had stopped, even with Sauber having a slow pitstop (4.6sec).
That left Hülkenberg with nine laps to go to defend his position, and so he did, Hamilton only managing to cut the gap in half by the time the chequered flag was waved.
“I think we made a really good call by stopping one lap later than he did for the slicks, and we gained I think around 10 seconds,” said Hülkenberg. “That gap was crucial.
“From there onwards, it felt like a pretty long 10, 11, 12 laps, whatever it was. But from there onwards, I knew we had every chance to get this result. We just needed to keep it on the road while pushing.”
