Image credits - Formula 1
You might not witness a more heartwarming moment in Formula 1’s 75th anniversary season. In a year filled with big storylines, from McLaren’s dominance in the championship fight to Lewis Hamilton’s fairytale switch to Ferrari, one story stands out for its quiet strength and emotional weight.
It’s not just a race result. It’s the reward for 15 years of persistence, grit, and unshakable belief.
For years, Nico Hulkenberg carried the weight of an unwanted record - the most Grand Prix starts without a podium. Race after race, season after season, he kept showing up, fighting, hoping to finally leave the label behind. And after 238 races of near misses, heartbreaks, and sheer determination, he has finally stepped onto a Formula 1 podium for the very first time.
He is no longer a symbol of what might have been. Today, he represents everything that makes the sport special - perseverance, hope, and the joy of finally breaking through.
So here are all the numbers behind Hulkenberg’s long-overdue and deeply deserved first Formula 1 podium -
Finishing third, Nico Hulkenberg finally claimed his first Formula 1 podium after 239 race starts, the most in Formula 1 history before a maiden top-three finish.
He's the 218th driver in Formula 1 history to step onto the podium.
Only two drivers have taken more than 100 starts before earning their first podium: Carlos Sainz (101) and now Hulkenberg (239).
With Hulkenberg now off the list, Adrian Sutil now retains the record for most Formula 1 starts without a podium - 128.
Hulkenberg, the driver who waited the longest for a Formula 1 podium, spent the final laps of the race being chased by Lewis Hamilton, the driver who waited the least, having finished third on his debut back in 2007.
Nico Hulkenberg became Formula 1’s oldest first-time podium finisher in over 50 years. At 37 years, 10 months and 17 days, he’s the oldest since George Follmer, who was 39 years, 3 months and 2 days old when he finished on the podium at the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix.
Image credits - Sauber
Hulkenberg spent 19 laps running in the top-three at Silverstone, more than he had managed across the previous eight years combined (11).
This is the first time since Germany 2019 that Nico Hulkenberg spent more than a lap in the top-three of a Grand Prix.
In total, Hulkenberg had logged 177 laps in podium positions throughout his career before this race.
Hulkenberg is the first German on the podium since Sebastian Vettel at the 2021 Azerbaijan GP.
He becomes the first driver since Alexander Wurz in 1997 to score a maiden F1 podium at Silverstone.
His last podium in any category was 10 years ago at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won with Porsche.
He is also the first driver over 30 years of age to reach the podium this season.
Hulkenberg gained 16 places en route to his maiden podium, making it the joint third-largest climb to a debut top-three finish in F1 history. Only Carlos Sainz (17 places in Brazil 2019), Teo Fabi (20 in Detroit 1984), and Ron Flockhart (20 in Italy 1956) made bigger gains for their first podiums.
Image credits - SauberHe has gained 10 or more positions in a race four times this season. No other driver has done it more than twice.
Over the last four races, Hulkenberg has scored 31 points, more than reigning world champion Max Verstappen (29).
This is the first time since Belgium-Russia 2019 that he has scored points in four consecutive Grands Prix.
This is Sauber’s first podium since Kamui Kobayashi finished third at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, which also marked the last time a Ferrari customer team reached the podium in Formula 1.
Sauber’s 15-point haul is their biggest since the 2019 Brazilian GP (22 points).
Sauber (35) have scored more points than Red Bull (29) over the last four rounds.
Sauber scored as many points (15) as Mercedes (1), Red Bull (10) and Williams (4) combined at Silverstone.
Sauber managed only 4 points across 24 races in 2024. In just 12 rounds this season, they’ve already racked up over 10 times that total - 41 points.
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