Nico Hulkenberg Makes Big Claim About Sauber After Maiden F1 Podium Finish
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Sauber Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg has made a significant claim about his team, stating that it is now a "serious competitor" in the midfield. The German driver made the admission after securing his first podium finish in F1 at the British Grand Prix.
Hulkenberg's P3 finish at Silverstone reportedly made bigger headlines than Lando Norris' race win at his home venue.
The last stage of the British GP saw Hulkenberg fend off seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari in the fight for the third spot. Sauber, which is set to be taken over by Audi, is a classic example of what teams can do when the regulations remain consistent over multiple F1 seasons.
Hulkenberg has scored points in five races thus far, while his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto secured a points finish in Austria. This has elevated Sauber's position in the championship standings to P6, a stark contrast to its last position finish from last year.
Sauber is currently ahead of Alpine, Haas, Aston Martin, and Racing Bulls in the championship. Speaking on his Silverstone race finish, Hulkenberg acknowledged that the situation would have been different if the British GP had been a dry race. He said:
Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber answers questions in the TV media pen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025...
Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber answers questions in the TV media pen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. More"I think that's pretty good for starters today. If we had a dry race, it would have been a very different day and outcome for us."
The 37-year-old driver admitted that the team made significant improvements after the Spanish Grand Prix. He added:
"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."
Newsweek Sports reported Hulkenberg's comments on his podium finish. He said:
"I always knew, you know, we have it in us, I have it in me somewhere.
"I mean, what a race, coming from virtually last, doing it all over again from last weekend. It's pretty surreal, to be honest.
"Not sure how it all happened, but obviously, crazy conditions, mixed conditions. It was a survival fight for a lot of the race.
"I think we just were really on it, the right course, the right tyres, in the right moment, made no mistakes. And, yeah, quite incredible."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton make complaint amid Oscar Piastri's victory
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have both criticised the decision of F1 officials to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, eventually won by Aussie championship leader Oscar Piastri. There was a delay of nearly an hour and a half due to rain and poor visibility at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Sunday, with a red flag ordered after an initial formation lap behind the safety car. The cars were brought back into the pit lane and the starting procedure halted, and the race didn't get underway until some 90 minutes later. After the long wait, the FIA eventually cleared the race to start once standing water had been removed from the track. Pole-sitter Lando Norris had said: "I can't see a lot behind the safety car, so I can't imagine what it's like for everyone else." But Verstappen and Hamilton both accused officials of being overcautious. A four-time world champion, Verstappen said Race Control should have kept the field out on the track to clear the standing water, rather than red-flag it. "It wasn't even raining," he said. "Of course, between Turns One and Five, there was quite a bit of water. "But if you do two or three laps behind the Safety Car, then it would have been a lot more clear - and the rest of the track was ready to go anyway. It's a bit of a shame. I knew that they would be a bit more cautious because of Silverstone, but this also didn't make sense. Then, it's better to say 'let's wait until it's completely dry' and we'll start on slicks because this is not really wet weather racing for me." Lewis Hamilton agrees with Max Verstappen Ferrari veteran Hamilton said organisers had overreacted after Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli and Alpine's Isack Hadjar collided at Silverstone in poor visibility. "We started the race a little bit too late, I would say," Hamilton said. "I kept shouting that 'it's ready to go it's ready to go', but they kept going round and round. "I think they're probably overreacting from the last race, where we asked them not to re-start the race too early because the visibility was bad. This weekend, I think they just went too far the other way. We didn't need a rolling start." The race eventually began with a rolling start after four laps behind the Safety Car. Hamilton finished seventh with a stunning drive after starting 18th on the grid. He said the conditions made things interesting, and would have loved a traditional 'rain race'. Carlos Sainz believes right call was made But Williams driver Carlos Sainz supported the decision to delay the race as "a safe call", given the history of the high-speed circuit. "My respect to the Race Director because he told us after Silverstone – and the accidents at Silverstone – that he would play it safer here and that is what he did," said Sainz. "On a normal track, yes. I think maybe we could have started earlier by five or 10 minutes. But at Spa-Francorchamps, and with the history of the track, it is better to be safe than sorry. You got the whole race. You got to watch the full race. So, I don't think it was a bad call. A safe call, yes." There have been 53 fatalities - including two in the last six years - due to poor weather conditions at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. "That's why it's better to be safe than to have an accident and to be regretful," added Sainz. DRIVER STANDINGS (after 13/24 rounds)Piastri opens up a 16-point gap over Norris#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 27, 2025 RELATED: Oscar Piastri responds amid uproar over Aussie's act on podium F1 driver in danger of being axed after incident with Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri extends lead in F1 championship Piastri's victory put him 16 points clear of Norris in the championship. "Oscar just did a good job. Nothing more to say," conceded Norris. "Committed a bit more through Eau Rouge, and had the slipstream and got the run. "So nothing to complain of. He did a better job in the beginning, and that was it. Nothing more I could do after that point. I would love to be up top, but Oscar deserved it today." with agencies
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Can't believe it': Fans in awe of triple Aussie stunner on global stage
Oscar Piastri and the country's men's and women's 4x100m swimming relay teams have produced a stunning night for Australia on the global stage. And it could get even better, with Alex de Minaur in the final of the Citi Open in Washington. Piastri was triumphant in a rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix, while Australia won gold in both relays at the swimming world championships. Piastri extended his lead in the F1 world championship to 16 points after overtaking pole-sitter and teammate Lando Norris to win. The race eventually started after four laps behind the safety car following a delay of nearly an hour and a half due to rain and poor visibility at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. After an initial formation lap behind the safety car, a red flag was shown, and the cars were brought back into the pit lane and the starting procedure halted. Once the race began, the decisive moment came just seconds after the start. Piastri charged through the spray and straight past his teammate Norris, using his slip-stream through the daunting Eau Rouge. Piastri was then largely untroubled for the rest of the race as he powered on to finish 3.415 seconds clear of his arch-rival. "I knew Lap 1 (after the safety car) would probably be my best chance of winning the race," the Aussie said after his sixth win of the season and eighth of his career. "I got a good exit out of Turn 1, lifted as little as I dared and yeah, we had it mostly under control." It was McLaren's sixth 1-2 finish of the season, and third in a row. Charles Leclerc was a distant third for Ferrari, while Max Verstappen was fourth in his first full race under a new Red Bull chief following the departure of Christian Horner. Aussies win double relay gold at swimming world championships While Piastri's win wasn't a total shock, the performance of Australia's two 4x100m relay teams were. The Aussies ended the opening night of the swimming world championships with double gold after the country's men and women both prevailed in the 4x100m freestyle events. Olivia Wunsch produced a stunning late comeback to fire Australia to an upset victory over the vaunted US in the women's event. And then it was Kyle Chalmers who reeled in a sizeable lead from the Americans in the men's event. Chalmers produced a stunning anchor swim as the Aussie quartet including Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor and Maximillian Giuliani posting a world championship-record time of 3:08.97 to defeat Italy (3:09.58) and the fading US (3:09.64). "I've kind of lost my voice already from cheering so hard," Southam said. "I'm just so happy to be here, and we all swam out of our skin, and we did it for the country, and we're so proud of ourselves." Ian Thorpe blown away by Aussie women's victory The Aussies were complete underdogs in the women's race with a new-look team of Mollie O'Callaghan, Meg Harris, Milla Jansen and Wunsch. The US were the hot favourites to win, but even without the retired Emma McKeon, the Australians produced something special. Torri Huske had the lead for the US with 50m remaining, before Wunsch came storming home to snatch victory. Australia finished in a time of 3:30.60, with the US (3:31.04) in second. "I definitely can't believe it," Jansen told Channel 9. "This is something that I wanted growing up. I was feeling very nervous coming into this, but it's just a dream come true." Ian Thorpe said in commentary: "It is really difficult to be able to find someone to match our most successful Olympian we've ever seen - Emma McKeon. She's not there. Cate Campbell's not there. Bronte Campbell's not there. "But what we do have in Australia is the consistency in this race, that it's tough to make this team. And what I'm most impressed with is ... how they could lift for the entire team in this race. Amazing stuff." HOW DID AUSTRALIA WIN BOTH RELAYS!? I was in the room watching it and I couldn't believe insane night of swimming — Slaylee Goatkeown (@SwimFanAus) July 27, 2025 KYLE CHALMERS IS THE GREATEST ANCHOR SWIMMER IN you can't change my mind.#AQUASingapore2025 — John Dean (@JohnDean_) July 27, 2025 ANCHOR KING KYLE 👑Kyle Chalmers closes the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay with an insane 46.53 split, sealing the record-breaking victory for Australia! 🔥 #Swimming #AQUASingapore25 — World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 27, 2025 And the lads! 🥇 Just as good if not better. Aussies with a one-two punch on the USA. Kyle Chalmers. Superstar. — Tom Decent (@tomdecent) July 27, 2025 Kyle Chalmers 👑 Just insane, another anchor leg for the ages. #AQUASingapore25 — Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 27, 2025 with AAP
Axios
15 hours ago
- Axios
U.S. reaches trade agreement with Europe with 15% tariff
President Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. reached a trade agreement with the European Union that would impose a 15% tariff rate on its goods. Why it matters: Europe is the latest major partner to accept significantly higher tariffs to stave off worsening trade fights with Trump. Details: Trump announced the deal alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during a trip to Scotland. Trump said the EU agreed to buy more than $750 billion worth of U.S. energy, as well as invest $600 billion on top of the bloc's existing commitments in America. Trump said that the EU would also purchase military equipment as well as open its markets for U.S. manufacturers. What they're saying: "I think it's the biggest deal ever made," Trump said on Sunday. "It will bring stability, it will bring predictability," von der Leyen said, calling it a "huge deal." Catch up quick: The EU pact comes after one struck with Japan earlier this week. That deal imposed 15% tariffs on U.S.-bound imports, but also included a massive investment mechanism that has come under scrutiny. The big picture: Europe's economy was reeling before Trump took office. Still, White House trade policy has targeted its most dominant sectors, including auto manufacturing. German carmakers — Mercedes, BMW and Audi — have been subject to a 25% tariff rate since April, while other goods faced a blanket 10% tariff. By the numbers: As a bloc, the EU is America's top trading partner, with more than $600 billion worth of goods imported from European nations last year. The U.S. exported slightly more than half of that sum, with $370 billion worth of goods sent to Europe in 2024. That trade deficit has been one source of Trump's frustration with Europe since taking office. The bottom line: Some of the world's largest economies will adjust to far higher tariff rates than initially thought, with huge implications for global economic growth and inflation.
