Nico Hulkenberg’s British Grand Prix podium saw something happen in the F1 media centre for the ‘first time’

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It’s been 239 race starts, but Nico Hulkenberg has finally stood on the Formula 1 podium after finishing third at the British Grand Prix

Lando Norris claimed his first win on home soil at Silverstone, but Hulkenberg arguably stole the show with an outstanding performance in front of the British crowd.

What was most impressive about his display was the fact that he started from the back row of the grid in P19. The Sauber driver would have been wondering if points were on the cards, but the wet weather conditions played right into his hands.

Sauber executed a perfect strategy while other drivers kept changing from intermediates to dry tyres. Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll were elevated to the front of the grid in the chaos and were soon fighting for third after Max Verstappen spun under the safety car.

The German got past Stroll and found himself on course for his first ever F1 podium. While the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton was behind and pushing for a podium, Hulkenberg kept his focus and held on to send Sauber and the British Grand Prix crowd into delirium.

The F1 media centre cheered ‘in unison’ for the ‘first time’ after Nico Hulkenberg’s maiden podium

The result marks the first podium for the Hinwil outfit since Kamui Kobayashi at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. In fact, Hulkenberg is now in the Sauber history books as he achieved the record for a driver to score a podium from the furthest starting position.

The 37-year-old’s maiden podium was a popular result amongst F1 fans, and in the media centre. Journalist Jamie Boxall-Legge says it was the ‘first time’ that everyone cheered ‘in unison’ for a driver’s result.

He said via the Autosport Podcast: “There are some times where you’re in the media centre and there’s a result where everybody’s kind of united by it or there’s a moment that happens, where you just sort of hear this big collective, audible gasp.

“I think this is the first time I’ve heard everybody cheer in unison. And I think everyone was on the edge of their seats, particularly at the point where DRS was enabled.

“He just got past Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton’s catching him at that point. And everybody’s looking at the delta times to try and work out: ‘Is Lewis catching him? Is he not?’

“And then it looked like he was and he was in DRS and then he dropped back a couple of laps later. And you’re thinking: ‘I think he’s going to do this. This is the moment where it’s going to happen’, and it was.”

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How F1 drivers have reacted to Nico Hulkenberg’s first ever podium

Hulkenberg said he had to stick his neck out with Hamilton chasing him down in the closing stages. The Sauber driver kept his C45 on the tarmac as he finished five seconds ahead of the Ferrari star.

The German has now cemented himself inside the top 10 of the championship as he sits ninth in the standings. Hulkenberg has scored more points than defending champion Verstappen in the last four races.

Verstappen congratulated Hulkenberg in the media pen and on social media. He was sent pumping his fist to the Sauber driver on the cooldown lap, before shaking hands with him in parc ferme.

But F1 fans were ‘disappointed’ by McLaren’s reaction to Hulkenberg’s podium, as they seemed to almost ignore him on the podium. Many were angry that Norris and Oscar Piastri did not spray the German in champagne, considering it was the first time he had ever finished in the top three.