"He deserved this": Fans react to Nico Hulkenberg scoring his first F1 podium at British GP

While Lando Norris won his home race at the British GP, the other storyline from the European race was that Nico Hulkenberg secured his maiden podium finish at the fabled event. The 52-lap race was filled with electrifying drama and cloud cover, but the German aced the challenge, leading fans to claim that Hulkenberg deserved the result.

The Sauber driver made his debut in 2010 and stunned the F1 paddock by claiming his maiden pole position at the Brazilian GP. However, he had to move out of the Grove-based squad for the subsequent year and was left without an F1 seat for the year.

Despite this, his impressive performance in his rookie year caught the eyes of Force India (now Aston Martin), and he returned to the grid in 2012. However, Hulkenberg's podium ambitions were left out to dry when he got out of the racing scene after the 2019 season.

But the 37-year-old's impressive CV helped him secure his third stint in the championship, and after 239 race starts, Hulkenberg finally scored a podium at the British GP. While this would bring relief to Davide Valsecchi, F1 fans did not hold back on their excitement as they quickly joined the Hulkenberg hype train.

"What a reward for him after so many races!! He deserved this podium."

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What a reward for him after so many races!!

He deserved this podium.

"HULK PODIUM BEFORE GTA 6 RAHHHHH," one fan wrote.

"HULKENBERG YOU LEGEND!!!!" another fan wrote.

A horde of other fans celebrated the German's achievement and wrote:

"One of the biggest curses in F1 history has been broken," one netizen wrote.

"All stand for the Hulk!" another netizen wrote.

"Goatenberg," another netizen shared a moniker for Hulkenberg.

Nico Hulkenberg's podium finish at the British GP now redeems him from the list of making the most race starts without a podium result.

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Nico Hulkenberg reveals his emotions after claiming his maiden F1 podium

Nico Hulkenberg at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty

The top two finishers at the 2025 British GP had combined 15 race victories. On the other hand, Nico Hulkenberg had never stood on the rostrum in his career, even after over a decade of racing in F1.

With his podium-less drought finally coming to an end, the Sauber driver opened up on his emotions in the latter stages of the race when he slowly realized that his dream might eventually come true, as he said in the post-race interview to Jenson Button:

"Today, I was in denial until the last pit stop and then I heard we gapped Lewis so I thought okay, breathing space but then he was closing. The pressure was there, intense race but we didn't crack. I was thinking he was going to give it all in front of his home crowd but sorry guys, it is also my day!"

The 37-year-old's podium helped Sauber add another 15 points to its championship tally as they now sit sixth in the standings.