Nico Hulkenberg finally broke his podium drought at Silverstone, capturing his first Formula 1 trophy after an astonishing 239 race starts.
The veteran German driver stole the spotlight despite McLaren’s dominant race performance, climbing from 19th on the grid all the way to third place.
A heartwarming video of Hulkenberg’s daughter beaming with pride as her father received his first F1 trophy quickly went viral across social media platforms.
But what should have been a universally celebrated moment has sparked controversy.
Fans have taken to social media to criticize McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for seemingly failing to acknowledge Hulkenberg’s remarkable achievement during the podium celebrations.
The criticism hasn’t been limited to fans, either.
Dutch commentators Olav Mol and Jack Plooij noticed the apparent snub during their broadcast coverage.
“What is surprising: on the podium, the two McLaren drivers sort of forgot about him. I found that rather sad,” Plooij remarked on Ziggo Sport’s The Round Table.
Mol agreed with his colleague, adding, “Almost outrageously so. Normally, when someone gets their first podium, the others would lift you on their shoulders.”
The commentator pointed to the recent Canadian Grand Prix as a stark contrast. There, Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli received proper recognition from his fellow podium finishers after securing his first top-three result.
“Russell and Max indeed had some some disagreement from Spain in Canada, they still had to see the stewards. But Kimi gets his first podium, he gets all the glory. The McLaren drivers just completely neglected Hulkenberg.”
For Hulkenberg, the podium represents the culmination of one of F1’s longest journeys to success. After years of being known as the driver with the most starts without a podium finish, the 36-year-old has finally shed that unwanted record.
The question now is whether the McLaren drivers will address the criticism, or if this moment of celebration will be permanently tainted by the controversy surrounding it.
