After a wildly unpredictable British Grand Prix, Nico Hülkenberg finally found himself on the Formula 1 podium. The relief was palpable for the German driver, who had waited for this moment through 239 Grand Prix races. Until recently, he held the dubious distinction of being the Formula 1 driver with the most starts without a top-three finish. Despite this, the 37-year-old Sauber driver has come tantalizingly close on several occasions throughout his lengthy career. Here’s a look at all the times Hülkenberg narrowly missed the podium.
Grand Prix of Brazil, 2010
The then 23-year-old Hülkenberg, freshly crowned as GP2 champion, was eager to prove himself in his first season in Formula 1. The German joined the Williams team and surprised everyone by securing his first – and to date, only – pole position during a rain-soaked qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix. This achievement was widely praised and also marked Williams’ first pole since 2005. Unfortunately, during the dry race, he couldn’t keep up with the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari. He was overtaken early in the race and eventually crossed the finish line in eighth place – good for points, but no podium finish.
Grand Prix of Brazil, 2012
Once again, the conditions at Interlagos were dictated by rain. This time, Hülkenberg – now a Force India driver – qualified seventh. In the opening stages of the race, he quickly moved up the ranks thanks to a smart strategy; he switched to slicks at the right time, which temporarily put him in the lead. However, in lap 54, things went horribly wrong – while battling with Lewis Hamilton, Hülkenberg lost control of his car, resulting in a collision with the Mercedes driver. Hamilton’s victory went up in smoke, while Hülkenberg was handed a drive-through penalty. Despite this setback, the German still managed to finish an impressive fifth.
Belgian Grand Prix, 2016
Starting from the seventh position, Nico Hülkenberg impressively advanced five places in the opening phase at Spa-Francorchamps. A collision in the La Source turn involving Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, and Max Verstappen allowed Hülkenberg to overtake Daniel Ricciardo and teammate Sergio Pérez. This move secured him the second position, behind race leader Nico Rosberg. He maintained this position until Kevin Magnussen crashed his Renault into the wall. Following an inevitable red flag, Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton – who had fought his way to the front – overtook the German driver.
Austrian Grand Prix, 2016
Later in the year, Hülkenberg started from the second position due to Nico Rosberg being demoted five places because of a gearbox change. This was Hülkenberg’s first time on the front row since his pole position at Interlagos. However, he was unable to capitalize on this strong starting position; technical issues forced him to retire early from the race. His teammate Sergio Perez also retired, ending a disappointing weekend for Force India.
German Grand Prix, 2019
Hülkenberg began his home race from the ninth position on the grid, which unfolded into a chaotic Sunday. Once again, it was raining, and he took advantage of the first safety car period to move up to P2 – as other drivers pitted to switch to slicks. During his pursuit of leader Max Verstappen, disaster struck; in turn 16, during lap 40, he slid off the track and ended up in the gravel trap. Unable to get his car back on the asphalt, he was forced to retire.
