Hulkenberg spent years in the wilderness - now he's delivered a feel-good F1 moment

When a shock of neon green flashed across the Silverstone finish line, the anticipation that had rapidly escalated to stratospheric levels was matched in magnitude by a sudden deluge of celebration through the British Grand Prix paddock. You'd be incredibly hard-pressed to find one person within it who wasn't utterly beside themselves with joy when Nico Hulkenberg clinched his first championship podium.

A rapturous applause in the media centre aligned with Hulkenberg's passing of the chequered flag. An even more rambunctious set of celebrations unfurled further along The Wing, naturally located in the Sauber garage as jubilation and relief coalesced. Later, the motorhome had Gala's Freed from Desire on a loop – its personnel starting the refrain with "Nico's on fire" before quickly realising a second line hadn't yet been concocted – and unsurprisingly so. After all, who had Sunday's result on their bingo cards at the start of the year?

Never mind that Hulkenberg finally stood on an F1 podium at the 239th time of asking, or that he delivered Sauber's first top-three result in almost 13 years. Perhaps more important was that his result, contextualised by his excellent recent form, has vindicated his return to the F1 grid on a full-time basis after effectively three years away. One might even argue that, in his two-and-a-half seasons back since the three-year layoff as a reserve driver, he's even better now than he was when he left Renault at the end of 2019. You only have to look at how his competitors reacted to his podium finish to see how highly regarded the German is.

Yet he's spent his career as a nearly-man; someone capable of great things, but just missing that final bit of je ne sais quoi that would otherwise reinforce a top team's decision to take a punt on him. He spent the earlier years of his F1 career being linked to the championship's most illustrious names; Ferrari was said to be very close to signing him for 2014, but Kimi Raikkonen was hired instead. Mercedes had 'The Hulk' as the second name on its list for 2013 behind Lewis Hamilton, but Niki Lauda's successful intervention helped lure Hamilton to the team. McLaren and Red Bull were also said to have had interest during the opening 10 years of Hulkenberg's time in F1.

None of those options quite came to pass, as Hulkenberg appeared forever consigned to sideways steps within the midfield. The cycle looked to have been broken when he was signed by Renault for 2017, after the French manufacturer repurchased the Lotus-owned Enstone F1 team, but 100-race and five-year plans for success have since come and gone. Hulkenberg was there for three seasons, largely remaining ensconced within the cut-and-thrust of the midfield before Renault let him go ahead of 2020. Having led the team across the first two years there, the shine was partly taken off by Daniel Ricciardo's arrival at the team while the Australian was arguably at his peak. And, with no other movement in the 2020 driver market, Hulkenberg was out of a drive.

Had 2020 been like any other season, that might have been curtains for Hulkenberg's career – in F1 at least. Instead, in a perverse sort of way, picking up a reserve role at Racing Point was the next-best thing; Sergio Perez missed two races with COVID and Lance Stroll missed one, offering Hulkenberg prime opportunities to put himself in the shop window. It helped that the Rhinelander was familiar with the team, given his two spells at the Silverstone outfit during its Force India days; a period in which he impressed with his speed and consistency but still failed to claim that elusive breakthrough result.

Hulkenberg had come close to the F1 podium on multiple occasions before - most notably in 2012 when he clashed with Hamilton in Brazil while battling for the lead

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Qualifying third at Silverstone's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and scoring points in two of those three outings (the other resulting in a DNS after power unit technical hitches) ensured Hulkenberg remained a presence for established fans and was introduced to many who might not have watched him during his earlier years. His two appearances for the team – by then Aston Martin – in 2022 as deputy for the COVID-hit Sebastian Vettel were less impressive, but those races came at a point when the AMR22 was severely undercooked as a concept.

One always wondered what could have been when it came to Hulkenberg's career, one defined by a transient approach to his maiden seasons. His debut year with Williams in 2010 was difficult until results picked up, by which time the team had already signed Pastor Maldonado to inject much-needed capital into a cash-strapped operation. A year as Force India's reserve beckoned, then he replaced Adrian Sutil in the racing line-up to partner Paul di Resta. As Sauber then racked up the podiums over 2012, Hulkenberg jumped across to the Swiss team for a season before returning to Force India once more when a Ferrari opportunity became a dead end. After three years, the Renault move followed prior to his return to Silverstone as a reserve driver.

And don't forget: he's a winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Having been signed to Porsche's third car for the 2015 edition of the race, alongside Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, Hulkenberg contributed to a surprise victory. His was also the first win for a Le Mans rookie since 1998.

"I've considered him to be an extraordinary talent for a very long time" Jonathan Wheatley

There were those in the paddock who knew Hulkenberg's worth, and also coveted the depth of his experience despite the years on the sidelines. When Haas was on the recovery path from its 2019-2021 nadir, it felt that pursuing experience over youthful exuberance was preferable; watching Mick Schumacher take great chunks out of the team's budget in 2022 due to extensive repairs proved to be the final straw. But there were those who saw Hulkenberg's age, had forgotten the first act of his F1 career, and figured Haas was making a huge mistake when it signed him for 2023.

It turned out to be the move that the team needed to help galvanise the operation. Hulkenberg might have had qualms about being at the back of the grid before, but saw the Haas project as one with potential. It duly began to deliver upon that over 2024, as the team's new leader Ayao Komatsu plotted a course through the previous year's tyre management deficiencies and helped the American outfit chart a path back into the midfield. Hulkenberg was a key part of that, and had rehabilitated his F1 career to the point where Audi wanted him to lead its incoming F1 operation.

But, given Sauber's state at the start of 2025, you'd never have been able to predict that Hulkenberg's latest move would have paid off this soon. But it's been a season of continual growth, instigated by Mattia Binotto as the ex-Ferrari team principal felt that the team needed shaking out of its ennui; Sauber's view of the future had taken its eye off the ball when it came to the present, and Binotto reasoned that developing its cars would actually help keep its tools at the factory up to date. Ally that to the effect bestowed upon the team by the arrival of team principal Jonathan Wheatley, and there's a very real sense of upward mobility. Now Hulkenberg's defection from Haas to rejoin the Hinwil squad looks a smart move indeed.

The German produced the drive of the season to charge from 19th to third at Silverstone

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images

As the C45 has improved, so have Hulkenberg's results. If there was any criticism to be levied upon his season, it would be that his qualifying performances have largely paled in comparison to those of rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, but Hulkenberg's guile and wiliness in race trim have made points-scoring races possible – even from lowly grid positions. There was a dose of luck involved in Hulkenberg's escalation from 19th to third over the British Grand Prix, but prodigious race pace had been evident as early as Friday practice.

"I've considered him to be an extraordinary talent for a very long time," Wheatley said in the aftermath of a stellar podium finish. "And I think I've been consistent in saying that to everyone here. It seemed incredible to me that he's never achieved a podium in his career. I think he showed today what he's capable of. And I think also for him it's a milestone, you know. The monkey's off his back."