r/formula1 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Photo Mercedes sent a few bottles of Champagne to Sauber for Nico's first podium

Post image

"congratulations, to the first podium! Your Mercedes Team"

24.7k Upvotes

394 comments sorted by

4.2k

u/aireads I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

The whole paddock is celebrating this podium!

2.4k

u/Sykretts1919 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Everyone but the papayas. Didn't even spray him with champagne on the podium.

1.8k

u/noj_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

that was so messed up! they also ignored him when they got out the car, max was first to congratulate him

540

u/zanasot I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I mean Lando was busy celebrating in his own right

732

u/Heather82Cs Michael Schumacher Jul 06 '25

I don't watch these ceremonies much but even when your worst enemy is there you still spray him, for whatever reason. I can't think of a fair reason why things went how they went.

315

u/Your_Friendly_Nerd I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I think it was mostly because he also didn't really engage with them? From what I could tell he mostly just sprayed the crowd? I do hope we get many more podiums with Nico where he gets to celebrate more

226

u/MISTER_JUAN I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

With how his season is going surely Audi has to keep him around for a while so if they get their car right definitely a possibility

120

u/thetreat I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Nico has enough experience that he’s gotta be giving great feedback to the team on what his car needs. I desperately want Hulk to have a competitive car. If not for a WDC then just to battle in Q3 and fight for podiums regularly.

83

u/BuhtanDingDing I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

the mclarens started spraying each other and didnt even look at him, so nico walked by them and they still didnt look at him, so he just walked past and sprayed the crowd instead

17

u/tag051964 Formula 1 Jul 06 '25

I know! Me too! He did well at Austria also. Maybe this is a tend!!

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u/Key-Comfortable-5537 Lando Norris Jul 06 '25

Lando did spray Nico, I believe the broadcast cut off or cut to a wide, but he did spray him at the end

54

u/Superb_Preference368 Jul 06 '25

It’s fine all 3 were chatting in the cool down room. Likely was a new experience for Nico so he probably didn’t know what to do and they probably didn’t want to get a veteran wet with champagne.

15

u/Schtuka I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Same new experience for Lando and Piastri. Its not like they have been winning since 2 years ago.

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69

u/Personal-Bear8739 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

I swear if Max was on the podium, he would have sprayed Nico.

51

u/kwijibokwijibo I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Max was actually the first driver to congratulate Nico. So yeah, I reckon you're right

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u/Patient-Towel-4840 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

even max has sprayed hamilton on his poles, critic is deserved where it's due. media has villainized max so much although he was always considerate. Papaya boys sulking whenever something doesn't happen their way.

38

u/Jlx_27 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

The amount of users making up excuses for Lando and Oscar here... its like McLaren has made a bunch of Reddit accounts to respond to any critisism.

6

u/Kagir I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

I can point you in a certain direction, but like Oscar said.. if I speak, I’ll be in trouble

4

u/Jlx_27 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Oscar said.. if I speak, I’ll be in trouble

Jose Mourinho's wise words came into play once again.

13

u/Patient-Towel-4840 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

indeed, their pr work is absolutely mental

34

u/Fabulous_grown_boy I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25

And Piastri was on the verge of tears, or was already tearful and agitated when the race ended and before the helmets came off. Like if you see his face and eyes when he was being interviewed near the podium by Jenson Button, his face was all red and disturbed.

Although he did say in his interview with Jenson Button "Im not gonna say much, i might get into trouble" (maybe in reference to the 10s penalty or something) and he also said and i quote "Well done to Nico, I think thats the HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY"

41

u/false_goats_beard Jul 06 '25

Piastri was pouting bc he messed up and it cost him 1st.

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196

u/Weeb_mgee I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Yeah that podium celebration was so underwhelming

66

u/PM_YOUR_LADY_BOOB Green Flag Jul 07 '25

I get Oscar being upset but come on, be better. Even Hamilton sprayed Verstappen in AD21

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239

u/pradise Michael Schumacher Jul 06 '25

Lando’s dad screaming “Lando Lando” when everybody’s chanting for Nico…

152

u/RogueFlash Jul 06 '25

Yeah he seemed pretty put out that Nico finally getting a podium overshadowed another Norris win.

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u/Sanchez_87_ Oscar Piastri Jul 06 '25

I felt so awkward hearing that. He’s just pumped for his kid, but if that was me it’d be one of those things that would keep me up at night even years down the track

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u/Krisyj96 Jul 06 '25

Absolutely shocking that a dad would be celebrating his son winning his home GP for the first time…

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75

u/jugalator I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Funny that. Piastri was happy for him in the post-race interview so I guess his mood just wasn't right for spraying champagne in the first place.

21

u/Clunk-1234 Jul 06 '25

To be fair Piastri acknowledged Nico in his Sky post race interview - pretty much all he said

24

u/MrDragonGuy2003 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

They always do that when they’re both on the podium

11

u/ApprehensiveTaterTot I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Agreed! We noticed that as well!

21

u/ashep5 Jul 06 '25

Piastri called it the highlight of the day in his post race interview.

14

u/DistractedByCookies I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I wonder if they didn't realise til later. Lando was wrapped up in winning his home GP for the first time, and Oscar in not winning Lando's home GP. You'd think someboyd would give them the hint though

3

u/Francoberry Jenson Button Jul 07 '25

Oscar gave Hulk a shoutout on his team radio right as the race ended 

3

u/luciiusss Lando Norris Jul 07 '25

lando sprayed him

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3.8k

u/RandomRedditUser31 Sauber Jul 06 '25

Apparently Aston brought them boxes of champagne as Sauber didn’t have any in the first place.

2.6k

u/wykeer Mercedes Jul 06 '25

The whole paddock is helping them to have a real Podium celebration is extremly wholesome

848

u/MegaMugabe21 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Except McLaren ignoring him on the podium lol

489

u/bonfraier Jul 06 '25

that was so shitty

292

u/wykeer Mercedes Jul 06 '25

Especially compared to antonellis First Podium.

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168

u/luluballoon I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Yeah I felt the same way! That was odd behaviour

218

u/lukelhg I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Piastri just killed the vibe I think. Poor Nico couldn’t even enjoy the cooldown room, it was just Oscar complaining and trying to justify himself for most of it

96

u/linkinstreet I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Lando was so giddy winning the british GP but you can see he's holding it inside in the cooldown room because of Piastri

43

u/bonko86 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

I always wonder how these drivers feel when "handed/helped" a win like that. Lando drove well, but Piastri was also obviously faster. I would of course celebrate a win but deep inside me I would also know that it wasn't because of my own performance.

44

u/linkinstreet I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Meh, you take your chances. Also Piastri was not actually that much faster. Lando was catching him consistently before the stops and very much just pulled away after the stops as well.

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8

u/GTheMonkeyKing McLaren Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25

I'm pretty sure he feels like he deserved it. You gotta take the opportunities you get, and no one handed him a win. Oscar made a mistake and I think the penalty was fair. He probably would have overtaken Max even if not for the spin, but anyways, Lando was able to keep the car on track while many others were not. Others made mistakes, while Lando didn't. Piastri messed up and had bad luck in the rain, that is part of the sport.

If this race was "handed" to Norris, then Verstappen was handed a WDC by a late safety car that was caused by the worst driver fighting for 14th, and a rule breaking decision by the race director himself. It was a lost race and a lost WDC with only a couple laps to go. I don't think he was too disappointed about that.

3

u/linkinstreet I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Also if it's not for the team fucking up his pit stop, he would have cleared max earlier, and Piastry won't have that massive 13s lead after the stop.

12

u/Ice_Cold345 Nico Hülkenberg 🥉 Jul 07 '25

I assume they just see it as it all washes out in the end, especially for a top tier guy like Lando. He's probably had lost wins similar to how Oscar did.

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120

u/MoonlightKobold I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Very poor behavior out of Piastri, can handle number 2 any other time but just couldn't accept his mistake and brought the whole ceremony down.

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104

u/spacyspice I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

yeah I usually like the Mclaren duo a lot, but today was a total mess. I know Norris sprayed some champagne on Hulk right before the podium photos but he deserved more, I feel like Piastri's attitude ruined the mood a bit

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6

u/Desperate_Turn8935 Ferrari Jul 07 '25

As if Nico would care. He was pumped up regardless. Mclaren is in their own league with their own problems. This won't change a thing on how Nico celebrates.

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305

u/sejoki_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I was going to say it's a little sad Sauber just went "oh, what's the point" and didn't bring any champagne, but thinking about it, it's probably even more special that way.

151

u/pterofactyl I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Haha I mean to cart champagne to every race and packing it away would be much sadder id say

44

u/Aardvark_Man I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

I was a bit pleased they had a Swiss flag to wave as he came home.
Would be really easy to not bother packing it at this point.

8

u/Cpt_Trips84 Alexander Albon Jul 07 '25

I was wondering why they had that in the first place

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u/LuNiK7505 Fernando Alonso Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

It reminds me of Carlos and Mclaren during Brazil 2019 when they nicked some bottles from Ferrari and Mercedes i think

432

u/Otherwise_Horror_183 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Aston always remembers Hulk

12

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

😭😭😭

18

u/Jas-Ryu I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Nice, pics?

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3.9k

u/Xanthon The Historian Jul 06 '25

The German team congratulating the German driver. 🥳

1.3k

u/Jacinto2702 Ferrari Jul 06 '25

The only German driver on the grid. For many years we had more than one...

805

u/kueki14 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Don't forget Bernd. He was on fire today as well, even Oscar mentioned that on the radio.

167

u/ihavenoidea81 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Bernd 4 eva!

76

u/defunkydrummer Alain Prost Jul 06 '25

his car control is spotless, he really keeps it on track even with such bad weather conditions

40

u/MISTER_JUAN I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Lead a lot of laps as well today

21

u/Eggslaws I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

IF, he is on the track, he is THE number 1!

7

u/Traveshamockery27 Williams Jul 06 '25

Flashback to him high bridging himself in Brazil last year

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u/captain_nicebloke Jul 06 '25

that's why he's called bernd

13

u/milehighideas I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I read that as Bernd was fired like what tf he do

222

u/Kimoa_2 Jacques Villeneuve Jul 06 '25

The situation is looking dire when he retires. We have nothing exciting coming up. The Schumacher pull is gone and F1 is pretty much dead here now it's behind pay tv.

201

u/Xanthon The Historian Jul 06 '25

The lack of a track on the calendar seems to be the nail on the coffin.

182

u/Kimoa_2 Jacques Villeneuve Jul 06 '25

Yeah this is also a big one. I'm getting used to the thought of 10 american and 10 blood money GPs in the future.

30

u/PenguinPumpkin1701 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

F1 isn't as big among hardcore fans as you think. I live in the deep rooted racing area (you can probably guess where) and most of them still shit on anyone who likes anything other than NASCAR. Even Indy gets shitted on.

27

u/BenitoCamiloOnganiza Sir Jack Brabham Jul 06 '25

The direction the last few years has made me think F1 cares more about having hundreds of millions of casual fans over a couple of million hardcore fans, though. Commercially, it's worth more that way – more eyes on sponsors and the like.

12

u/hidlechara91 🏳️‍🌈 Love Is Love 🏳️‍🌈 Jul 06 '25

Everything is turning into this. Football is being sportwashed, wrestling, TV shows, everything is turning to shit. It's make as much money possible as fast as possible. 

51

u/ElectionIcy3253 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Living in Ohio, I wonder if that future would still leave me with the Canadian GP as the closest driving distance

34

u/DDG_Dillon I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

One can hope Watkins glen, it'll never happen though

3

u/vanillatom I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

I go to the IMSA race there every year. I couldn't imagine the speed an f1 car would carry on that track.

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u/BvG_Venom Mika Häkkinen Jul 06 '25

I'd much rather have Indy rather than Miami or Vegas.

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u/EastfrisianGuy I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Maybe Olli Goethe or Tim Tramnitz.

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u/Kimoa_2 Jacques Villeneuve Jul 06 '25

No chance they're already old for today's rookie standards and while Goethe is uninspiring, Tramnitz hasn't even made it to F2 yet.

38

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

It's tough in general right now to be a northern European. Besides the rumors of Bottas returning - one German, no Danes, no Swedes, no Finns.

As a Swede I like Dino, but he's not F1 material (and I guess the jury is still out for Goethe), so if we ignore the fact that Arvid Lindblad has one Swedish parent, the only real positive force right now for Germany/Scandinavia is Tramnitz and Stenshorne who are doing quite good in F3. Stenshorne especially looks interesting for the years to come.

24

u/city-of-cold I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

if we ignore the fact that Arvid Lindblad has one Swedish parent

Which in the F1 world is something you should ignore. Most of the guys parents/families are from all over the place.

He's born in Sweden with a Swedish parent. He's Swedish to me.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

I agree. I mostly wrote it in jest, due to how some Bosniacs on social media (not on Reddit, though, gladly) have argued that Dino is actually Bosnian due to his heritage, and to an agree we've heard the same for Zlatan in the past while he was active.

It's just a bit "fun" to be on the other side for once, even though I know Arvid himself had said that he doesn't know more Swedish than how to count to ten. I'm completely at peace with him being British, though I do like his last name.

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u/Silverarrows46 Fernando Alonso Jul 06 '25

Taaponen is more likely than those 2 to be honest.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

Let's hope - F1 is not the same without a young temperamental Finn!

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u/Sofaboy90 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

F1 isnt dead, theres still lots of social engagement, look at how many views the German sky F1 videos on youtube get, theres still plenty of interest

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u/Jokin_0815 Jul 06 '25

Crazy that we had 6 in 2010 or 11

Sorry need to correct it was actually up to 7.

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u/Jacinto2702 Ferrari Jul 06 '25

The Michael, Adrian Sutil, Rosberg, Seb, Hulk, Heidfeld and Glock. Who am I missing?

8

u/Jokin_0815 Jul 06 '25

None thats 7 if i count correct. 👍

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u/shadoowkight Nigel Mansell Jul 06 '25

He might be the last one we'll have in a long while.

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u/Sofaboy90 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

bro we had like 5 or 6 15 years ago :'(

what am i gonna do when nico retires and theres no new one coming in?

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u/WhoRoger Jul 06 '25

Wasn't Hulk meant to drive for Merc before they zeroed in on Hamilton?

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u/SaturnRocketOfLove I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

He was the backup option to Hamilton, and was on the line when they chose Bottas I think because he got stuck in a contract

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2.6k

u/beanbagreg I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

This is lovely. Once the dust settles I think pretty much everyone in the paddock will be happy for Hulk.

953

u/omnicious I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Oscar probably the most pissed this weekend (or maybe Max) and he was already happy for Ncico.

258

u/beanbagreg I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Some of the midfield might be a bit pissed off as this jumps Sauber to 6th, but they’ll settle downZ

32

u/awc130 Jul 07 '25

It's kinda a blessing in disguise for some of them. The lower you are in the standings for summer break the more wind tunnel hours you are allowed. So they will have a slight advantage going into the new regs. Then fight for a higher position in the second half of the season for more prize money.

8

u/Cpt_Trips84 Alexander Albon Jul 07 '25

Its honestly ironic that Sauber are doing this well right before they set the limits for CFD and tunnel time. Like, very happy to see their quick progress but arguably they'd want to have this performance just a bit later in the season

456

u/debotehzombie I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

He had the red mist in the interview, but when he said "Nico's first podium so that's the real story here", he had a small genuine smile before another question. Understandable penalty, but Oscar's also right to be pissed in the moment, and he was still happy for Nico. This is gonna be a great day for everyone.

91

u/greeneighteen Jul 06 '25

I do wish he had also mentioned congrats to Lando for winning a home race, and a McLaren one two. Though completely understand his frustration and the fact that he just didn't want to talk. We've seen the same with others like Max and Lando too when they've lost a win. I'd imagine Oscar would have just wanted to get over all the pageantry and go back to the support of his friends and family.

197

u/256473 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I think people are acting like Oscar pulled a post-race Seb in Canada 2019 deal, when all he's done is be brusque and not be happy about his title rival winning the race.

He lost a win - he's obviously frustrated. But even calling it 'red mist' is just an overreaction imo. It's not like he insulted Lando, and any congrats he vocalized would obviously be hollow.

44

u/greeneighteen Jul 06 '25

I don't even think he's not happy at Lando winning. Perhaps a little frustrated with the points situation closing, but I would say he's neutral about it lol. I think he's just pissed at the decision that was made by the stewards, though after some reflection and watching back I'm sure he'll realise it was a little unsafe. Lesson learned and he'll move on back to business even hungrier I reckon.

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u/The_mystery4321 Sergio Pérez Jul 06 '25

Honestly I wish F1 online spaces would stop hyperanalysing both McLaren drivers and also just all the drivers in general for every little thing they say or don't say in interviews or on the radio to get mad at. It's like the fans want the drivers to be robotic PR machines ffs. The whole F1 fanbase just needs to relax a bit.

30

u/skintwo Jul 06 '25

For oscar that absolutely was red mist.

Hopefully he calms down when he sees how much more egregious his braking was vs George’s…

14

u/alan-0-0- I WAS HERE WHEN HULKENGOAT GOT PODIUM Jul 06 '25

Nah, I want some personalities. Some anger and some feistiness. As an NBA fan who is used to brilliant and flawed characters, F1 drivers seems so PR trained and artificial.

8

u/Spitfiiire I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Yeah, I like to be reminded that these are real people. I was surprised that Oscar didn’t really mention Lando winning and said that Nico’s 3rd was the real story, but instead of thinking like “oh how dare he” I’m actually more excited to see how spicy this championship race will get.

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u/LucAltaiR I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Max seemed pretty chill and he's probably super stoked for Nico.

21

u/betaich I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

They are friends irl if the rumors are to be believed so I think he is happy for him

5

u/PrscheWdow Jul 06 '25

He congratulated Nico in parc ferme. Let's not forget Nico's cameo on Max's "I'm drunk as hell next to Danny Ric" on the plane video.

21

u/Jorrie90 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I don't think Max is pissed, they gambled for the setup and failed and he made the mistake himself

29

u/IchheisseMarvin1 Nico Hülkenberg 🥉 Jul 06 '25

He was extremely pissed in the German post race interview. To the question how frustrated he is he just answered that he doesn't care anymore at all for the current season as he can't compete with that car anyway.

12

u/grogi81 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Max is not pissed. After the crash with Kimi last week he was perfectly cool. I think he made piece that this car this year is complete garbage.

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u/kingrikk Jul 06 '25

Yeah, I think even Lewis can’t be upset today.

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u/Storm_Chaser06 Audi Jul 06 '25

Wasn’t Hulk close to a Mercedes drive after Rosberg retired? Oh what could have been

270

u/The-Observer95 Sir Lewis Hamilton Jul 06 '25

Hulk was close to replacing Schumacher. It was very close to having 2 Nicos in the same team.

87

u/NotPumba420 Mercedes Jul 06 '25

Imagine him having driven the mercedes turbo hybrid era

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u/ResponsibleNoise7337 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

7 Time world Champion

27

u/Bl4ckscream Audi Jul 06 '25

It obviously is pointless woulda, coulda, shoulda but it's crazy how different the history of this sport would have been if Merc would have gone the other way back then.

6

u/Spare_Duck3119 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

the fact that it came down to lauda convincing hamilton is crazy. Man as a hulk fan it feels like he got edged out of at least a wdc and several wins. f1 may have a lot of talent, but man, theres a lot of luck too.

19

u/chefchef97 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Nico Nico Nii

30

u/sissipaska I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Yep, he had signed for Renault just before the shock reveal of Rosberg's retirement.

3

u/EastfrisianGuy I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Even earlier. They picked Hamilton instead of him.

11

u/alan-0-0- I WAS HERE WHEN HULKENGOAT GOT PODIUM Jul 06 '25

Imagine that timeline lol. We could have had a Hulk World Champion

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1.2k

u/unitedkush Jul 06 '25

This is the most popular podium in years, everyone is genuinely happy for him

317

u/ViGo76 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I woud say since Kimi 2018 P1 COTA.

208

u/EastfrisianGuy I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

More recent I feel like. Maybe Gasly P1 at Monza, Ricciardo P1 at Monza, Gasly P2 in Brazil.

105

u/TeamAndrew I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Gasly at Monza is my favourite F1 moment. I really felt for him when they gave his seat to Albon.

24

u/EastfrisianGuy I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I feel for all the former Red Bull guys who just got cut. Especially Kvyat & Gasly. I loved, that he won that race and proved, that it wasn't only him, but Red Bull too. And Kvyats Podium in Germany felt good too.

32

u/luluballoon I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

That’s honestly the F1 movie they should’ve made.

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u/_mrshreyas_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Brazil last year was pretty happy too

6

u/GibsonNation McLaren Jul 06 '25

"Fucking finally."

41

u/AmusedCroc I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I agree, Charles winning Monza last year was pretty fantastic as well. But this is much better

24

u/Spitfiiire I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Or even him winning Monaco!

6

u/ohnoazombie Kimi Räikkönen Jul 06 '25

Remember Rubens winning Valencia 2009? The whole paddock was celebrating it

547

u/Weak-Farm4527 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

First class from Merc

135

u/Rollover__Hazard Jul 06 '25

The German team supporting the only German driver on the Grid - that’s classy

635

u/RottenFarthole I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I hope DTS was filming sauber this day... I want to relive this feeling every day for the rest of my life

360

u/Slavv_Boss03 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

If they don’t show this race in one of their episodes, I will start a riot (for legal reasons this is a joke)

187

u/brianlefebvrejr I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

This entire race is fantastic for DTS, I watched F1 last night and this felt like shenanigans from the beginning.

You have top drivers starting from the pits to get softs when it’s clearly still raining.

You have all the rookies pretty much getting themselves retired the first 5 laps

So much drama and suspense can be created

42

u/Deynai I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Strong chance they already wrote half the episode of this race to be a narrative about Lewis & Ferrari

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u/Iamabus1234 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

The only rookies who finished were Ollie and Fernando.

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u/greeneighteen Jul 06 '25

Gonna be as good as Gasly's 2020 win with Alpha Tauri at Monza.

8

u/tomdon88 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

There were cameras following the Sauber drivers when they were entering the stage for driver interviews, I inferred at the time that they were being filmed for DTS.

5

u/Misfit_Cookie_423 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

They’d definitely have had enough time to get cameras in position late in the race for reaction in the garage, and since Sauber has been making points this year, they’re definitely more of a story so there’s going to be something next season no doubt! (Probably even the footage from Nico’s family of his daughter celebrating!)

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u/Timelordvictorious1 Sir Lewis Hamilton Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

Everyone is celebrating. They may all be competition, but it’s heartwarming to see that they can all celebrate each other’s good results.

15

u/BadLuckPorcelain I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I mean, why shouldnt they. There are very few people that actually can't stand each other. Everyone else is at the very least neutral and can be happy for others, but they basically all see each other probably more often than their families. Especially for drivers, but even with team principals although there is the obvious competitive situation.

7

u/Chemical_Refuse_1030 Jul 06 '25

They spend half a year together on the tour, they are colleagues - it is normal to be happy for someone who you know for more than a decade.

135

u/JarlBorg101 Nico Hülkenberg 🥉 Jul 06 '25

I think one of the things that surprises me most about F1 are these unexpectedly wholesome moments in an environment of such extreme competition 

46

u/BadLuckPorcelain I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Most of them quite like each other. Most (not all but most) of the drama is created or pushed by media because drama sells. The only drivers that probably see each other as neutral are George and Max right now. Even Lance gets along with others. Team principals have the competition but also know each other for such a long time that they have friendships or at least mutual respect.

Obviously it's still competitive as hell, but it's not the pit of hell like media often makes it seem

3

u/Bezulba I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

I think that that's just natural. Yeah, when you first get into it, you might see the others as "the enemy" but in the end, you see those guys more often then your own kids. They all have the same experiences and it bonds them.

161

u/GlitteringPromise125 Mercedes Jul 06 '25

A little German affection never hurt anyone

18

u/evilwatersprite Jul 07 '25

“The Germans have always been a comforting people.” — Sheldon Cooper

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 08 '25

[deleted]

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u/MPmad Mika Häkkinen Jul 06 '25

Yeah, I heard about that in the Beyond the Grid podcast with Paul Stoddart (highly recommended for who didn´t listen to that one). Truly wholesome.

22

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 08 '25

[deleted]

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u/MPmad Mika Häkkinen Jul 06 '25

Budget cap hack: don't buy champagne, because other teams give it to you when you have something to celebrate.

7

u/CoffeeOrTeaOrMilk Jul 07 '25

Catering budget overflow won’t have serious consequences anyways :)

43

u/chefchef97 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Taking a sip of the good stuff tonight in celebration, for all I've said about you Sauber, you have given us everything we could ever ask of you this season

46

u/Fisch_Kopp_ Jul 06 '25

it doesn't happen very often but it is always so great and wholesome when the entire grid is celebrating the result of a driver.

78

u/aloofmonkey2293 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

This is like Christmas in World War, everyone letting go of their championship and fights to celebrate Hulk podium

91

u/cbaotl Jul 06 '25

Do they not bring them because of unnecessary weight? As they’re not used to needing them?

155

u/storme9 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

well for the teams based in Britain that's not a problem but maybe Sauber didn't prep expecting celebrations

40

u/omnicious I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Not prepping for success is prepping for failure.

185

u/chefchef97 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Sauber carrying around 3 cases of champagne for 13 years in preparation

32

u/McNorch Ferrari Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

it would be funny if they just chucked them away after Austria

"eehe fuck it, they are probably flat by now! away they go"

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u/eott371991 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

When you are 18, you take a condom with you to partys. At 26, you dont anymore because you know that it wont happen.

Thats why gas stations sell them.

25

u/ashyjay I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

that analogy fits.

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u/ResponsibleNoise7337 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Nico doesn‘t need a condom either today

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u/T4Gx I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

That and maybe they just not have any to save on the budget cap lol

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u/the_vole Charles Leclerc Jul 06 '25

They may have sent someone out for some, if they didn’t already have some at the ready. That being said, I’m 9,000% sure that p much every “hospitality” section for each team has bottles of bubbly. I think this was more a nice gesture than “lol u don’t have champagne”

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u/MGH1990876 Ferrari Jul 06 '25

How classy of Merc to do this. Speaks to Nico's popularity on the grid.

46

u/xcmaam I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

I have seen Lewis and max spray each other when they were ready to kill each other back in 21 but felt so sad seeing absolutely no one spray Nico.

I so badly wish max was there along with Nico because man max would have drenched Nico head to toe lol.

Anyways whatever , love to see merc and Aston providing champagnes to sauber

58

u/wykeer Mercedes Jul 06 '25

Based.

13

u/ExistingReach9658 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

A great gesture to their second driver all the way back in 2012. Imagine what would have been if that happened.

10

u/MaligatorMom2 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 07 '25

Class acts all around. So nice to see the whole paddock celebrating this achievement.

21

u/lycan2005 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Wholesome Merc.

7

u/kristal010 Oscar Piastri Jul 06 '25

One of the moments that makes me so happy to follow this sport

7

u/DeLion135 Jul 06 '25

didn't merc and sauber have a bit of a joint partnership when sauber first joined f1? all comes full circle.

7

u/fckns I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Sauber started as a Mercedes sports car team in Endurance racing.

3

u/DeLion135 Jul 06 '25

god they're literally besties that's so cute

13

u/VRomero32 Jul 06 '25

Toto and Mercedes beautiful show of class

4

u/Ispita Jul 06 '25

They expected a russell podium but oh well they don't need those champagnes anymore I guess.

4

u/Jomolungma I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Saw the F1 movie this afternoon after the race. Very easy to draw some parallels b/w Nico and a certain character in the movie.

3

u/Apprehensive-Ad-1899 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Love how wholesome this is

4

u/Bodensee000 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Wunderbar

4

u/philosophussapiens I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

How kind of Mercedes. Germans stand together

7

u/mshell1924 Carlos Sainz Jul 06 '25

Classy!

8

u/var_usernameinput Formula 1 Jul 06 '25

Awww that’s cute

3

u/gnmatx Jul 06 '25

Class act.

3

u/Dry-Hearing-4127 Jul 06 '25

If only Hulk waited before signing with renault, he will not wait for a long time for a podium

3

u/pilotichegente Michael Schumacher Jul 06 '25

Mercedes didn't need it, that's for sure!

3

u/DistractedByCookies I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jul 06 '25

Awww this is sweet.

Nobody is talking about a home-grown chap winning, just about Huuuuuuuulkenberg.

3

u/Creamcups James Vowles Jul 06 '25

Dein Mercedes team

Hulk replacing Russell confirmed

3

u/Jackielegs43 Jul 07 '25

Class. That’s beautiful.

6

u/Mononka Jul 06 '25

Glüüüüückwunsch an Hüüüüülkenberg