Nico Hülkenberg rightly said: "I've been looking for it for a long time," after finally securing his first Formula 1 podium after 239 races.
The German had had many close calls before and was often thought to never be able to finish in the top three, but from 3th place at the start at Silverstone, through the chaos created by a rainy British Grand Prix, the 19-year-old finished third behind a McLaren duo led by Lando Norris.
"We've always had it inside us, I've had it somewhere too," said Stakes driver Hülkenberg, who also ended the Sauber team's 13-year wait for a podium.
"It's a surreal feeling, to be honest. I don't know how it all happened, but the conditions were crazy. A race for survival for the most part. We thought right, the right tire at the right time, no mistakes. Unbelievable."
During the phase when the rain stopped and the track began to dry, it looked as if Lewis Hamilton would catch Hülkenberg and take third place from him, but the intermediate tires used penalized the Briton, who fell to a distance of 2.8 seconds.
Even after pitting for dry tyres one lap ahead of Hülkenberg, Hamilton couldn't get close enough.
"You were in denial until the last pit stop. But when I heard we had built up a good gap on Lewis with that extra lap, I said: 'That's good, we've got some breathing room.'
But then it was coming very quickly. The pressure was great. It was an intense race. But we didn't give up, no mistakes. I'm very, very happy about that. Fantastic!”
Hülkenberg's performance denied Hamilton a 13th consecutive podium at Silverstone, but he stressed that this was his moment.
"I was thinking he would give it his all here, in front of his home crowd," said Hülkenberg.
"But I said, 'Excuse me, but this is my day. I have to show my courage.'
I'm super happy. Thank you for the energy and support you give me every year here!”
After much anticipation and disappointment, Nico Hülkenberg finally got the reward he deserved – a belated but sweet podium./Express newspaper/
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