Nico Hulkenberg reacts to scoring his first F1 podium at the British GP

Nico Hulkenberg finally broke his long-standing F1 podium drought with a third-place finish at the 2025 British Grand Prix. The Sauber driver ended the longest podium-less streak in the sport’s history, capping off a remarkable day at Silverstone.

Hulkenberg had gone 238 F1 races without standing on the podium. He finally ended his streak as he found himself on the right tire at the right time amid a rain-affected British GP.

After the race, the German driver described the moment as surreal, while speaking to Jenson Button in the post-race interview.

"It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?" said Hulkenberg.

"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," he added.

Nico Hulkenberg also told his race engineer right after the race ended that he couldn't quite comprehend the moment. Many people thought the 37-year-old had lost his opportunity to get on an F1 podium. But Hulkenberg managed to achieve this in a Sauber that was expected to be one of the slower cars on the grid in 2025.

He was joined by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the podium at Silverstone. Norris claimed his first home victory in F1, as Piastri lost out due to a 10-second penalty he received for a safety car infringement.

But Hulkenberg was looking behind not ahead, as Lewis Hamilton was chasing him down in the final stages of the race. But he managed to hold on to P3 in the end.

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Nico Hulkenberg was "in denial" during final stages of the British GP

Nico Hulkenberg after the British Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Nico Hulkenberg revealed that he was "in denial" during the final stages of the British GP, as Lewis Hamilton was chasing him down for the final podium spot. The Briton was closing in quickly, before his tires went off a cliff towards the end of the race.

After the race, Hulkenberg claimed to be worried about Hamilton behind, who was closing in aggressively.

"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."

Hamilton had pitted to put on slick tires in the final stages of the race. But Hulkenberg was also asked to come in, meaning a small mishap in the pits could have cost him the third spot. But the Sauber man managed to hold on, and kept Hamilton at bay.