Third Place Feels Like a Win

Words: Steve Johnson

“It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it.” That was Nico Hülkenberg’s reply to Jenson Button’s first interview question after finishing third in Sunday’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix. That long time was in fact 239 Formula 1 race starts without a podium (top three) finish. Hülkenberg was finally able to rid himself of a record no one wants to hold.

Racing for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, the team that Audi owns a majority stake in now and that will be rebranded as Audi for the 2026 F1 season, Nico had an incredible race. If you didn’t watch the race, you missed a lot of action. Rain, crashes, drying track, more rain, safety cars, more drying track, and pit stops. A lot of pit stops. The changing conditions saw drivers switching back-n-forth between slick tires and the Intermediate or faster of the two rain tires. Hülkenberg, who started 19th and last on the grid, benefited greatly by the team’s excellently-timed and well-executed pit stops. Not to mention his driving skills in constantly changing track conditions.

Toward the end of the 52-lap race Hülkenberg was running third on Medium compound tires but with seven-time F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari about seven seconds behind him on track on the Soft, and theoretically faster, compound tires. Hülkenberg was aware of the situation and during the post-race interview he said he thought he would eventually be overtaken by Hamilton. But after closing the gap to about five seconds, Hamilton had taken the best out of his tires and was no longer closing on Hülkenberg with only three laps to go.

When the third place trophy was handed to Nico on the podium, I think his facial expression was one of both satisfaction and bewilderment. After all, he hadn’t been handed a trophy on a podium since winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Porsche in 2015. Obviously satisfied with his finishing position, I think he was a bit bewildered by the trophy itself. Turns out, it was made out of LEGOs!

If you haven’t yet tuned into F1 racing this year, please give it a try. While it’s currently one of the smaller teams in the paddock, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber is growing into a truly competitive team. They have scored more points than the Max Verstappen-led Red Bull Team over the past four races proving that they are on the right trajectory. With drivers Nico Hülkenberg and last year’s Formula 2 Champion, Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, the team will become the Audi works, or factory, team in 2026. I cannot wait to see the livery they choose for their racecars!