McLaren slammed over snub during podium celebrations after Nico Hülkenberg’s first F1 top-three finish
-Reuters
Veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg achieved a long-awaited milestone at the 2025 British Grand Prix, finishing third to earn the first podium of his Formula One career in his 239th race. The 37-year-old Sauber driver, who started 19th on the grid, delivered a remarkable performance in wet conditions, marking an emotional high point 15 years after his F1 debut.
“I always knew we had it in us,” Hulkenberg told reporters post-race. “It was a survival fight for much of the race, but we made the right strategy calls and stayed mistake-free.”
Lando Norris claimed his first home victory at Silverstone following a controversial 10-second penalty issued to teammate Oscar Piastri, who was punished for erratic braking in front of Max Verstappen under the Safety Car. Piastri, who had led for much of the race, voiced his frustration at losing a win he felt he deserved.
While the race delivered thrilling moments on track, post-race celebrations drew criticism. Fans expressed disappointment after Norris and Piastri gave minimal champagne acknowledgment to Hulkenberg on the podium.
they didn’t spray nico.
oscar looked at lando then looked at his team and sprayed them first instead. lando just won his home gp?
vibes just felt off pic.twitter.com/6dqvQ4FMvX— sam¹ ✨💙🧡 @ silverstone (@unleashthemax) July 6, 2025
if max and george could put their death wishes for each other on pause for a second to celebrate kimi's first podium properly then the mclaren boys shouldve done the same for nico. these absolute lewsers
— 🧸 (@terroristappen) July 6, 2025
both mclaren drivers are such losers, holy fuck.
Nico just won his first podium in his ENTIRE career and you couldn't try and make him feel a bit welcome? seriously? https://t.co/oE6GG9qaZg“The vibes just felt off,” one fan commented on X, with others calling the McLaren duo’s behavior “cold” given the significance of Hulkenberg’s achievement. Many argued that Hulkenberg deserved to be the “man of the moment” after securing his first podium finish.
oscar: i also have a question for nico. how does it feel to wait 15 years for a podium in F1 and it's made out of lego, that you can pull apart?
nico: i love lego! it's good, my daughter can play with it too
😭😭 so nice pic.twitter.com/WgaIjeZvB6Despite the awkward scenes, Hulkenberg embraced the moment, smiling as he toasted with his LEGO-made podium trophy—an unusual but lighthearted touch to a historic result. “My daughter can play with it,” he joked, though he added he wouldn’t have minded a more traditional trophy.
The result boosts Sauber to sixth in the constructors’ standings, a dramatic improvement over their last-place finish in 2024. With Norris and Piastri now separated by just eight points, McLaren’s championship battle promises an intense second half to the 2025 season.