🏁🟢 Incredible Hulk: The Marvel of F1 | Pit Lane Chronicle
Nico Hulkenberg has finally experienced the F1 podium and a long-time injustice has been righted.
More than one subscriber asked for this week’s edition to be dedicated entirely to one man. And while I did consider it, I figured there would be plenty of others who want their full round-up of all the biggest Formula 1 stories as usual.
But, as you might have expected, this is a Nico Hulkenberg-heavy edition of Pit Lane Chronicle. It says something about the popularity of the guy that he got a standing ovation after his podium at Silverstone DESPITE denying home hero Lewis Hamilton his first top-three finish in a Ferrari!
Sat in the media centre in the Silverstone Wing, I was somewhat torn myself. With my reporting hat on, both were great storylines. We already had Lando Norris set to win his home race for the first time, which made it special enough. Part of me wanted Hamilton up there on the podium with him, while the other half of my heart was willing on the Incredible Hulk, suitably all in green.
The applause and cheers from journalists in the media centre when Hulkenberg crossed the line were louder than when Norris confirmed his victory. Remember, this is at Silverstone where there are more British reporters than anywhere else. You would have had to search hard to find anyone among the 168,000 people present at Silverstone on Sunday who wasn’t delighted for him.
This was a man who has previously started 238 F1 races, with zero top-three finishes to show for it. A man whose career looked over when he was axed by Renault at the end of the 2019 season, which was the worst of his career. A man who spent three years as a reserve at Aston Martin, racing only four times during that period due to positive Covid-19 tests for several other drivers.
But he kept himself in shape, physically and mentally, and crucially retained that desire to compete at the highest level. Hulkenberg got his chance with Haas in 2023, excelled to the point Audi made him one of their two top targets for a Sauber seat and who is now ninth in the championship with 37 points – scored for a team which scored four in total last year. Oh, and one career podium.
What an absolute legend.
QUICK QUIZ QUESTION – Who was the last person to score a podium for Sauber, and at which race? The answer is at the bottom of this newsletter.
Hulkenberg’s red-letter day
The 37-year-old was the first to admit that luck was a major factor in his remarkable achievement. Rain and changeable conditions can be a great equaliser, but they lead to crashes and safety car periods the timing of which always work against some and turn out to be a big help for others.
Hulkenberg had qualified 19th, one of his worst ever Saturday results. With Franco Colapinto starting from the pit lane, he was literally the very last of the cars on a wet Silverstone grid. But he immediately gained several places when several others gambled on slick tyres at the end of the formation lap, clearly feeling the track was dry enough for it to be worth the risk.
It wasn’t. Those who stopped were losing lots of time every lap in those opening stages, while Hulkenberg was up to 10th by lap three. Six later, he pitted but, unlike many others who went for slicks on a drying track, he swapped one set of intermediate tyres for another. Sauber had spotted another cell of rain on the way, and their radar was spot on.
So by lap 13, when race control brought out the safety car because of too much standing water and low visibility, Hulkenberg was fifth. Fourth a few laps later when, somewhat bizarrely, four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen lost grip and spun before the racing resumed. It took the German another 20 laps to move into the podium places but, after biding his time and applying pressure to Lance Stroll ahead, he eventually got by the Canadian.
But the podium was not yet secure. He had the small matter of the sport’s most successful ever driver, Lewis Hamilton, chasing him down in the Ferrari, at Silverstone where the seven-time World champion has won nine times. He was closing all the time and an overtake looked inevitable, until strategy again made the difference.
The track was drying and Ferrari pulled Hamilton in for slick tyres on lap 41. Too early, as it turned out. Hulkenberg stopped only a lap later but the difference it made was huge. Sauber’s tyre change was slow, four-and-a-half seconds, but Hamilton had been scrambling for grip so much that Hulkenberg was still 10 seconds ahead by the time he came back on track, compared to just two before either of them pitted.
There were nine laps to go and, even though Hamilton was giving it everything, he could only cut the interval to five seconds in that time. “That gap was crucial,” Hulkenberg said after the race, full of praise for his team which had nailed every call in very difficult circumstances.
Those strategists deserve all the praise in the world, but Hulkenberg was the man of the moment. Rival drivers came over to shake hands. Verstappen put aside his own disappointment at having finished fifth despite starting on pole to pull alongside the Sauber on the cool down lap and wave a congratulatory fist at his friend, for whom he was clearly delighted.
“Nico drove an outstanding race today. One of the best I've seen at Silverstone. One of the best I've seen of any driver, ever,” was the verdict of his team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who has seen plenty of top individual performances over the course of his 34 years in F1.
It took the delighted duo of Norris and Hulkenberg a long time to make their way back into the Silverstone Wing for the post-race press conference. Second-placed Oscar Piastri, in a much less celebratory mood – more on that below – was left waiting for more than 15 minutes, just sat on the white couch alone.
The media session began hastily as soon as the other two arrived. I was in the front row of the journalists’ seating area and spent most of the presser watching Hulkenberg’s face, amused by how he kept staring into space and smiling unprompted while others asked and answered questions, clearly still processing what he had just achieved.
Silverstone always throws up special storylines. Last year it was Hamilton’s fairytale first win for 945 days, and this time we had two. Norris experiencing the delirium of winning his home race, and Hulkenberg proving what we’ve all known about him for a long time – he’s a proper racer.
The Formation Lap
The main headlines and stories from the Formula 1 paddock this week:
There may be some people reading this who think it’s unfair that I have barely mentioned Norris’ extraordinary win so far. In the spirit of this being a newsletter which champions the midfield teams which don’t always get the coverage they deserve, I decided to dedicate the main hit of this edition to a man who may never achieve something like this again.
One thing for certain is that Norris will be winning many, many more races. The maturity he showed in treacherous conditions on Sunday was more evidence, if we needed it, that the Brit is World champion material. Plus, I’ve already given plenty of coverage to Lando in my day job!
🏆 But what a win it was. And Norris said it was “everything I dreamed of” after the victory at Silverstone he had been imagining since he was a little boy – Giles Richards, The Guardian
↳ Norris is eight points behind Piastri in the standings and the Brit said it was “exhausting” to be locked in such a tight battle with his team-mate – Fergal Walsh, RacingNews365
🤕 Norris had a scary moment after the race when a photographer fell from the pit wall and bumped into the Brit, splitting his nose but, otherwise, doing no significant damage – Holly Bishop, BulletIn
😡 Piastri was second to cap another one-two for McLaren, but felt he should have won the race and that he shouldn’t have been given the 10-second penalty for ‘erratic driving’ behind the safety car which changed the outcome – Keith Collantine, RaceFans
↳ A look at the FIA’s penalty guidelines for stewards showed they took the second most lenient option for Piastri in terms of punishment, as a five-second penalty was also possible for that offence – Daniel Moxon, The Mirror
↳ Max Verstappen, who was behind Piastri at the time and had momentarily overtaken behind the safety car as a result, said it was a “strange” and “extreme” penalty for his rival – Sky Sports
↳ Even a few days later, I’m still torn on this. On the one hand, he did slow dramatically by more than 100mph and Verstappen did swerve, but should it be something to lose a race win over? And a 14-point swing in such a tight title race is pretty huge too…
🟠 McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said the punishment would make Piastri “even more determined” next time out at Spa, so watch out, Lando! – Jonathan McEvoy, The Mail
🔴 Ferrari had a bit of a shocker at Silverstone, not helped by the fact they were making strategy decisions for Lewis Hamilton “blind” because the GPS on his car stopped working early on – Elizabeth Blackstock, PlanetF1
↳ Hamilton was also dealing with an “unbelievably tricky” Ferrari to drive and said there are elements of it that “cannot go into next year’s car” if he is to have any chance of glory – Connor McDonagh, Crash
❌ Verstappen gambled on a low-downforce setup which helped him take pole position at Silverstone. But it meant rain was his worst enemy in the race as he had far less grip than others and spent the afternoon sliding about, including a spin which dropped him from second to 10th, from which he recovered to fifth – Samuel Coop; Aaron Deckers, RacingNews365
↳ Before qualifying, gossip in the paddock was dominated by persistent rumours that Verstappen might be leaving for Mercedes. My understanding is that, unless he has a significant change of heart, the Dutchman will not be leaving Red Bull this year – Daniel Moxon, The Mirror
🌧 It was a rough day for George Russell, who had started fourth but ended up 10th after twice gambling on slick tyres when the Silverstone track was still too wet, though he insisted it was “not a stupid decision” – Jack Oliver Smith, Motorsport Week
💥 In the other Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli failed to finish because of heavy damage sustained when fellow rookie Isack Hadjar slammed into the back of him when visibility was at its lowest – Jake Nichol, RacingNews365
🚔 Away from the track, popular YouTuber AngryGinge was arrested at Silverstone, along with two others, on suspicion of causing thousands of pounds’ worth of criminal damage to a classic F1 car. They were held in a cell overnight for 15 hours but then released with no further action to be taken. But they were not allowed to return to Silverstone for the Grand Prix – Riyah Collins, BBC Newsbeat
↳ In a separate incident, Northamptonshire Police have appealed for information after a steering wheel was stolen from another display car at around 2.30pm on Friday. It was one of 34 reported crimes at Silverstone over the Grand Prix weekend, with 20 arrests made.
🚨 Former F1 stewards Tim Mayer used the British GP to formally announce his campaign to become FIA president, challenging Mohammed ben Sulayem and said he wanted to end his “reign of terror”. The election will take place in December but Mayer is unlikely to win, given the process is heavily stacked in favour of the incumbent – Giles Richards, The Guardian
Paddock Press
Here are the main stories around F1’s six midfield teams this week:
🔵 Alpine
🙌 Pierre Gasly secured the team’s best result of the year so far, finishing sixth having also qualified in the top 10. He declared it an “incredible” outcome, though they remain bottom of the teams’ standings – Michael Delaney, F1i
😬 Franco Colapinto did not start, the team telling reporters he had suffered a “driveline issue” on the formation lap. But paddock rumours suggested he may have burned the clutch, for the second time this season. That will infuriate Flavio Briatore and places the Argentine’s future in further doubt – Fergal Walsh, RacingNews365
🆕 Alpine have signed Steve Nielsen as their new managing director, taking on some of the responsibilities left by former team principal Oliver Oakes who resigned in May, meaning that role will not be directly filled for now – Scott Mitchell-Malm, The Race
💰 Meanwhile, former Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has wealthy investors on board looking to either build or buy an F1 team, and is said to be considering buying Renault’s F1 team outright – Ian Parkes, RacingNews365
🟢 Aston Martin
🤔 For Aston Martin, it was a first double points finish of the year! But Fernando Alonso was unhappy to have lost places early on while Lance Stroll, who started much further back in 18th, leapt up into podium contention for a time. The Canadian finished seventh, the Spaniard ninth, with team boss Andy Cowell confirming the plan had always been to split strategies – Keith Collantine, RaceFans
👶 It was also a great Sunday for the team’s junior drivers, with Mari Boya and Jak Crawford winning the F3 and F2 feature races respectively. “We’re incredibly proud of both drivers and what they’re achieving as part of our team,” said Cowell.
✏ As an aside, I was among journalists invited for an evening at Aston Martin’s factory, across the road from Silverstone, last Thursday evening. All very informal – food, drink, live music and chats with senior figures (all off-record so no gossip here, sorry!). It included a tour which brought the very memorable sight of seeing Adrian Newey at his drawing board in the design room! At 9:30pm at night, too. It really was quite a mesmerising sight.
⚫ Haas
🤦♂️ No points for Haas on a very messy weekend. It began with Oliver Bearman copping a 10-place grid penalty for speeding up and crashing during red flags in practice, which he admitted was a “silly” error. It also ruined an excellent qualifying performance which would have seen him start eighth otherwise – Mark Mann-Bryans, Motorsport.com
💫 In the race, Bearman and team-mate Esteban Ocon collided, sending both cars into a rather impressive synchronised spin. Not that team boss Ayao Komatsu enjoyed it, telling his drivers it should not have happened but also admitting the team “executed a terrible race” – Phillip van Osten, F1i
🗣 I had an interview with Komatsu at Silverstone in which he spoke about the “responsibility” he feels to help Bearman fulfil his potential and become a future F1 superstar. There will be more to come from this interview later this season, ahead of the US Grand Prix! – Daniel Moxon, The Mirror
↳ Sources at Haas also tell me title sponsor MoneyGram is looking to quit F1 just two years into a five-year deal, but that the team is having no trouble finding other brands interested in replacing them. Both Komatsu and a Haas team spokesperson declined to comment on the record.
🇺🇸 Separately, Komatsu also revealed that team owner Gene Haas has received a lot of interest in buying the team lately, but he is not interested in selling right now – Chris Medland, Motor Sport
⚪ Racing Bulls
❌ Both Racing Bulls cars were victims of the rain-induced chaos at Silverstone, meaning a double DNF. Liam Lawson was punted off track by Ocon on lap one, though the Frenchman was not punished as he could not move the other way at the time because Yuki Tsunoda was there – RNZ
💥 Isack Hadjar survived the first few laps but, when visibility got really bad because of the spray, missed his braking point and slammed into the back of Antonelli’s Mercedes. The stewards decided not to punish him because the Italian had braked earlier than normal and, with visibility so poor, it was decided that Hadjar wasn’t at fault for hitting the back of the other car.
🔮 Before the race, Hadjar said a top-five finish in the teams’ championship is their target and “definitely realistic”. It would be their best ever finish if they were to achieve it. Racing Bulls are currently seventh, 23 points off Williams who are in fifth spot currently – Keith Collantine, RaceFans
🟢 Sauber
📈 I’ll keep things brief here, given I’ve already talked a lot about Hulkenberg’s achievement. Worth noting, though, that Sauber are now sixth in the constructors’ championship with 41 points!
💥 It was a tough weekend for rookie Gabriel Bortoleto who was a victim of the awful conditions and crashed out early, having been one of those to gamble on slick tyres in the opening laps – Formula1.com
🔵 Williams
👎 Williams really are struggling to find any sort of luck lately. Alex Albon ended his streak of DNFs to finish eighth in the closest thing he has to a home race, but poor Carlos Sainz was in the running for points too until his former Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, sliding around on slick tyres, walloped him and damaged his car, consigning him to 12th place. Understandably, he said he was “a bit fed up” of how bad his luck has been this year – John Smith, Total Motorsport
📈 Williams have been on an upward trajectory and Albon is excited for what the future holds. Looking ahead, he thinks 2028 will be the year the team is truly competing at the sharp end of the grid – Andrew Benson, BBC Sport
🗣 Team principal James Vowles was once the heir to Toto Wolff’s throne at Mercedes, but has now said it is no longer part of his future plans and that he plans to spend the rest of his career in F1 with Williams – Tom Cary, The Telegraph
↳ Vowles is also set to celebrate a milestone moment in his personal life – his second child with wife Rachel is due any day now. He even had a helicopter on standby at Silverstone in case he received news that it was go-time during the Grand Prix weekend!
Best of Substack
Here are some of the F1-related posts I enjoyed elsewhere on Substack this week:
⏪ Remember that time Michael Schumacher won the British Grand Prix in his Ferrari pit box? No? Well, here’s how it happened – Grumpy Kerb, Grumpy’s Prism
🇬🇧 Never has a two-word post title better summed up a race than ‘Britain: Chaos’ – Julia, Trackside Talks
📍 F1 visits plenty of exciting and exotic places around the globe every year, but any excuse to read more about one of the iconic motorsport venues, and the home of the World Championship – Keira Louise, Paddock Culture
QUICK QUIZ QUESTION ANSWER – Kamui Kobayashi finished third at his home race, the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. That was just Sauber’s 10th podium in their history, and most recent until Hulkenberg secured number 11 on Sunday.
The Chequered Flag
Thanks so much for reading this week’s edition of Pit Lane Chronicle. This newsletter is FREE for all to enjoy. Please do let me know what you think, with any tips, comments and suggestions always welcome!
✍ My name is Daniel Moxon and I’ve been an F1 fan since I was old enough to listen to my dad’s tales about Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill. I clearly caught the bug as I now work as the Daily Mirror’s Formula 1 Correspondent. I live in Merseyside, in the north west of England, with my fiancée Abby and our 16-month-old daughter Eve who has been making race car noises – “Vroom vroom!” – since she turned one.