Quotes: F1 paddock praises Hulkenberg’s perseverance after maiden podium at British GP
11 days agoAfter Nico Hulkenberg secured his long-awaited first Formula 1 podium at Silverstone after 239 starts, fellow drivers and team bosses were quick to praise the German’s perseverance and talent, highlighting just how much the achievement meant within the paddock.
Gabriel Bortoleto said: “Congratulations to Nico! Seeing him fight for the podium and achieve this result after so many years in Formula 1 means a lot. He is the best teammate I have ever worked with — both as a driver and as a person — and he absolutely deserves this moment: I am genuinely happy for him.”
Oscar Piastri said: “Well done to Nico – I think that’s the highlight of the day.”
Carlos Sainz said: “Congrats – he must have done a very solid race to be up there in P3…for me, he’s always been a top-five driver in the grid every time he’s been in F1 – his level of talent and race execution is incredible.”
More F1 News and Updates:
Carlos Sainz on Mercedes talks: “I was one option but not really close”
Carlos Sainz has clarified the extent of his talks with Mercedes about replacing Lewis Hamilton for 2025, revealing that while discussions took place, a move was never truly close.
Sainz said: “Not really. We spoke a lot with Toto and everyone else at the time and I was certainly one of the options that was considered. But how close was I? You can ask Toto that. But I think he is very happy with Kimi Antonelli.”
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Jolyon Palmer on Oscar Piastri’s Silverstone penalty: “It was harsh and innocuous”
Jolyon Palmer has argued that Oscar Piastri’s penalty for braking under the Safety Car at Silverstone was excessive, insisting the incident was minor and did not warrant such a significant punishment.
Palmer said: “I don’t think he has done anything extraordinarily wrong... He hit reasonable brake pressure to slow the car down. I just don’t see it as a major moment. He did exactly the same thing four laps before which actually almost caused more drama further back in the field... The FIA didn’t even look at it... To then give quite a significant penalty, four laps later, for something which to me looked innocuous? It’s harsh. We have been following this sport for a long time. Can you remember a single penalty for this infringement before? I can’t... For Oscar to lose a race win for something which caused no real drama... I can feel his frustration.”
Hulkenberg on Kick Sauber’s progress: “We are a serious competitor in midfield”
Nico Hulkenberg has praised Kick Sauber’s progress in the F1 midfield, highlighting the team’s growing competitiveness following a series of strong results since their upgrade package in Spain.
Hulkenberg said: “Whilst we've made some really good improvements since Barcelona, today [at Silverstone] is obviously circumstantial, and the conditions made this race and this result possible... But I feel in the midfield fight we've definitely gained some momentum, and we are a serious competitor there. That's where our fight is, but it's always about maximising every race, every weekend, and just trying to do well.”
