[Yahoo News Report]German driver Nico Hulkenberg has created the most representative victory in his career at the British Silverstone. After 15 years and 239 F1 races, the 37-year-old veteran finally made his first appearance on the podium, crossing the line with the third place in the British Grand Prix, completing a legendary competition that looked like a movie plot.
Only ranked 19th
In the qualifying round on the eve of this game, Hou Genbao only won the 19th place. This time, the British Grand Prix was held in the unpredictable weather, and it changed from wetlands to dry land many times, making the competition situation treacherous and changeable.
At the beginning of the race, the rain forced all drivers to start with half-rain tires. Hou Genbao successively surpassed many drivers, including Oliver Bearman and Lance Stroll, and stabilized his ranking with the right time to pit the station. After the final round of the sprint, he once opened a gap with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, successfully seizing the breathing space and making his dream come true.
Hou Genbao finally secured the third place with about 5 seconds, ending his long-term “pool drought”, successfully defeating seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and four-time world champion Max Verstappen, and the two finished fourth and fifth respectively.
“We all know that we can do it, and I also know that there is still a little strength in my body.” Hou Genbao said after the game, “The rhythm of this game, the timing of the entry, and the tire selection are all correct, which is an incredible game.” He emphasized that in the last few laps, facing Hamilton’s strong counterattack, and the team told the two that there was a lap difference, he finally began to believe that his dream might come true.
The fleet re-listed on the podium for the first time in 13 years
Hou Genbao debuted in 2010 with the Williams team, and has played for several teams in his career, including Force India, Renault and Aston Martin. He had been ranked fourth in the main competition three times, the closest he was to the podium was in the 2012 Brazil station, leading the competition, but was sentenced to pass the pit area for a collision with Hamilton, and finally ranked fifth.
This third place not only ended Hou Genbao’s longest record of no podium, but also broke the record of the longest waiting number of podiums held by Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, the Sauber team re-listed on the podium for the first time in 13 years, pushing the team points to sixth place, leading Racing Bulls and Aston Martin.
Celebrate because there are few champagne on the podium
After the game, the reaction was enthusiastic inside and outside the court. Vestaben immediately expressed congratulations to Hou Genbao after the game. The clips were widely circulated on social platforms. He even took the initiative to invite Hou Genbao to return on his private plane. The Sauber team rarely stood on the podium and did not prepare champagne to celebrate, so the Mercedes team took the initiative to deliver a box of champagne, which became another highlight of the game.
It is worth mentioning that although Hou Genbao successfully appeared on stage, he only won a trophy composed of LEGO, which made the statement that “15 years have received a LEGO” spread among the F1 world and car fans.
As for the championship today, Lando Norris, who played at home, won the championship in the UK for the first time, and won the championship and runner-up with his teammate Oscar Piastri respectively. Piastri held second place despite being fined 10 seconds and helped McLaren team take charge of the top two.