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The Irish Sun
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Nico Hulkenberg chokes up on team radio as F1 star, 37, finally makes podium in his 239TH race
NICO HULKENBERG joked it was 'a long time coming' as he banished an unwanted record of most starts in F1 without a podium. It was the German 37-year-old's 239th career start as he held off seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to finish in third in a bonkers race at Silverstone. 5 Nico Hulkenberg choked up as he celebrated scoring an F1 podium for the first time in his career Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 The German driver couldn't believe he had brought an end to a 15-year wait for an F1 podium 5 Hulkenberg had waited 239 races to land P3 at Silverstone in 2025 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Hulkenberg was swarmed by his team in jubilant celebrations Credit: EPA Hulkenberg started the race in 19th and hadn't stood on a podium of any motorsport race since the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2015. The Sauber driver, who made his debut with Williams in 2010, choked back tears on the team radio and said: "I don't think I can comprehend what we've just done. Oh my god." He was seen embracing his team in jubilant celebrations at Parc Ferme while also sharing a hug with team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto, who had crashed out earlier on. READ MORE IN F1 Speaking to Jenson Button in front of fans after the race, he said: 'It feels good. It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? But I always knew we have it in us, I have it in me, somewhere. "What a race. Coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. "It's pretty surreal, to be honest. I'm not sure how it all happened, but obviously crazy, mixed conditions. "It was a survival fight for a lot of the race. I think we just were really on it with the right calls, the right tyres in the right moment, made no mistakes - quite incredible. Most read in Motorsport BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "I was in denial until probably the last pit stop, but then when I heard we gapped Lewis quite a bit with the one extra lap, I was like, 'ok, this is good, this is some breathing space.' "But then he was catching quite quickly, so the pressure was there. It was an intense race but we didn't crack, no mistakes, and obviously really, really happy with that." Sky Sports forced to apologise as Lando Norris swears live on TV moments after emotional British Grand Prix win "I was thinking that he's going to give it all in front of his home crowd, and I was like, 'sorry guys, but it's also my day.' I had to stick my neck out. I'm super happy." Hulkenberg was one of three drivers presented with In a press conference alongside the former Haas racer, Piastri cheekily asked how it felt to wait 15 years for an F1 trophy, only for it to be made of Lego. However, the Hulk adorably revealed he would be sharing his spoils with his three-year-old daughter, Noemi. He said: "I like Lego! My daughter can play with it too!" 5 Hulkenberg said his three-year-old daughter would play with his new Lego trophy Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Motor racing-Le Mans and F1 in same year? Too much now, says Hulkenberg
NICO HULKENBERG raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a decade ago when the Formula One calendar allowed it, and came away a winner with Porsche. The German could not do that now, with the 93rd edition of the French endurance race clashing with this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix where Hulkenberg, now 37, will be on the starting grid with Sauber. There will be another overlap next year but even if there was not Hulkenberg says trying to do both would be too much today. 'I think everyone was a lot less busy (in 2015), you know, than now,' the German, who finished fifth in Spain two weekends ago, told Reuters in a recent interview. 'Twenty-four races, all the stuff in between, it's a full-time job. I can only talk for myself but, personally, I wouldn't want the extra gig at the moment. I'm fully focused on F1 and for me, I'm happy that way.' Hulkenberg, now one of only two fathers on the F1 grid along with Max Verstappen, was with Force India in 2015 when he got the chance to race Le Mans. The sportscar race chooses its winners, they say, and that weekend he hit the jackpot along with fellow rookie Earl Bamber of New Zealand and Britain's Nick Tandy. Hulkenberg had raced in Canada the weekend before with F1 and went on to Austria immediately after. 'It definitely took some time to first understand the car and get a grip on it and properly get the lap time out of it,' he recalled. 'I was still improving and understanding, I was clicking only really in the night of the race. 'To jump back into Formula One I think was not a problem, because there was so much positivity after a race like this. I remember jumping into Austria and I was owning it and I was boss. It was no problem going back.' The German's Formula One career has taken him from Williams in 2010 to racing for Aston Martin's predecessors Force India and Racing Point as well as Sauber, Renault and Haas with some gaps in between. 'Why am I still here?,' asked Formula One's only current German driver. 'Because they still want me.' Hulkenberg holds the record for most Formula One races without ever standing on the podium but that is also testament to his enduring worth as a driver with engineering and setup skills as well as speed. His 236 starts are way more than the next man on the list without a podium, retired fellow-German Adrian Sutil on 128. On the plus side, Hulkenberg has two fastest laps and a pole position and next year will be in at the start with the Audi factory team when Sauber is renamed. 'I still love what I do. You know, Formula One and racing is my passion. It's what I do best, it's what I love. What else should I do?,' he said. 'I think it's the competition, you know, the thrill of qualifying, the buzz of a race, kicking ass but even the bad days -- just the racing, everything. I love that.'
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Nico Hulkenberg: F1 Focus Over Le Mans as Schedule Clashes
NICO HULKENBERG raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a decade ago when the Formula One calendar allowed it, and came away a winner with Porsche. The German could not do that now, with the 93rd edition of the French endurance race clashing with this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix where Hulkenberg, now 37, will be on the starting grid with Sauber. There will be another overlap next year but even if there was not Hulkenberg says trying to do both would be too much today. 'I think everyone was a lot less busy (in 2015), you know, than now,' the German, who finished fifth in Spain two weekends ago, told Reuters in a recent interview. 'Twenty-four races, all the stuff in between, it's a full-time job. I can only talk for myself but, personally, I wouldn't want the extra gig at the moment. I'm fully focused on F1 and for me, I'm happy that way.' Hulkenberg, now one of only two fathers on the F1 grid along with Max Verstappen, was with Force India in 2015 when he got the chance to race Le Mans. The sportscar race chooses its winners, they say, and that weekend he hit the jackpot along with fellow rookie Earl Bamber of New Zealand and Britain's Nick Tandy. Hulkenberg had raced in Canada the weekend before with F1 and went on to Austria immediately after. 'It definitely took some time to first understand the car and get a grip on it and properly get the lap time out of it,' he recalled. 'I was still improving and understanding, I was clicking only really in the night of the race. 'To jump back into Formula One I think was not a problem, because there was so much positivity after a race like this. I remember jumping into Austria and I was owning it and I was boss. It was no problem going back.' The German's Formula One career has taken him from Williams in 2010 to racing for Aston Martin's predecessors Force India and Racing Point as well as Sauber, Renault and Haas with some gaps in between. 'Why am I still here?,' asked Formula One's only current German driver. 'Because they still want me.' Hulkenberg holds the record for most Formula One races without ever standing on the podium but that is also testament to his enduring worth as a driver with engineering and setup skills as well as speed. His 236 starts are way more than the next man on the list without a podium, retired fellow-German Adrian Sutil on 128. On the plus side, Hulkenberg has two fastest laps and a pole position and next year will be in at the start with the Audi factory team when Sauber is renamed. 'I still love what I do. You know, Formula One and racing is my passion. It's what I do best, it's what I love. What else should I do?,' he said. 'I think it's the competition, you know, the thrill of qualifying, the buzz of a race, kicking ass but even the bad days -- just the racing, everything. I love that.'
