"This man has a good heart": Fans react to Max Verstappen cheering for Nico Hulkenberg as he got his first podium

Nico Hulkenberg secured his maiden podium in F1 at the British GP and a hoard of drivers celebrated the German's achievement, including Max Verstappen. The Dutchman appreciated the Sauber driver's impressive feat on the cooldown lap to the parc ferme. It soon surfaced on the web, leading fans to claim that Verstappen has a good heart.

The German had made 238 race starts before the British GP and had the best result of a 4th-place finish in his career. However, the 239th race start resulted in him striking gold, as he broke his long-drawn F1 curse by redeeming himself of not scoring a podium in his racing career.

Drivers up and down the grid celebrated this result as their own, including Max Verstappen, who was overjoyed with Hulkenberg's podium on the cooldown lap as his onboard footage went viral:

Subsequently, fans quickly took notice of the 27-year-old empathizing with the German and wrote:

"This man has a good heart."

A fan's comment on Verstappen congratulating Hulkenberg for his podium at the British GP | Source: Instagram/@fastforwardnet

"Terrible race for him, but he's still happy for others... they can never make me hate you maxie."

"Max is the best. People misjudge him so much. What a day for Hulkenberg💚💯🐐."

Meanwhile, other fans pointed out how the McLaren drivers seemingly did not celebrate Hulkenberg's podium as the German celebrated alone on the rostrum, and asserted how Max Verstappen would have doused him in champagne:

"I feel like the mclarens didn’t champagne Nico the way they should have. Max would have DOUSED Nico."

"While Lando and Oscar totally ignoring Nico on the podium."

"To be this happy for another driver’s P3, while on the outlap of the race in which you’ve destroyed your own chances for a podium finish… This is what great sportsmanship looks like."

Verstappen has had cordial relations with the Sauber driving pair in 2025.

Max Verstappen and Nico Hulkenberg have a long-standing bromance

Max Verstappen (L) and Nico Hulkenberg (R) at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix Of Japan - Source: Getty

While Nico Hulkenberg's podium brought a wave of joy in the F1 sphere, this was not the first time that Max Verstappen had on-track moments with the German. Last year, the then-Haas driver gave the Dutchman a slipstream on his final qualifying run at the Emilia-Romagna GP, which helped the Red Bull driver clinch pole position.

Moreover, after Hulkenberg shared a post on social media celebrating his result at the British GP, Verstappen was one of the first ones to comment on the post. This showcased their strong bond with each other, despite the Dutchman having a mediocre race himself.

On the other hand, Hulkenberg's podium helped him climb up to ninth in the Drivers' standings, while Verstappen remains in third.

About the author

Geetansh is a journalism student and has a nose for news in the motorsport world. His favorite driver is Sebastian Vettel and wants to meet his idol one day.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam