Hulkenberg drive ‘one of the best I’ve seen of any driver ever’ - Wheatley

Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley described Nico Hulkenberg’s podium performance at the British Grand Prix as one of the best drives he has ever seen.

Hulkenberg started 19th but remarkably climbed through the field in wet conditions to run third, before a final pit stop for slick tires led to him him opening up a comfortable gap over Lewis Hamilton and hold off the Ferrari driver by more than five seconds. Wheatley – who joined Sauber from Red Bull earlier this year – says it ranks among the best drives he has witnessed, as Hulkenberg finally stood on a podium for the first time after 239 race starts.

“Nico drove an outstanding race,” Wheatley said. “One of the best I've seen at Silverstone. One of the best I've seen of any driver ever. And it seems incredible to me that we're all celebrating a podium. It feels to me like he should have been getting them all his career. It seems to be the longest-waited podium ever.

“He showed his class. He didn't put a wheel wrong. And the team made all the right decisions in terms of strategy. Stayed out when we needed to stay out. And then switched to the medium at the right time. I'm just very, very proud of him.

“I can't speak for anyone other than myself, [but] I've considered him to be an extraordinary talent for a very long time. And I think I've been consistent in saying that to everyone here. It seemed incredible to me that he's never achieved a podium in his career. I think he showed what he's capable of. And I think also for him it's a milestone. The monkey's off his back.

“I think Nico showed what he's capable of. I think, given the right race car, given the right circumstances, he's capable of delivering that. I have no doubt he can win a race.”

Wheatley believes the key to the podium was the timing of both an early first pit stop for new intermediates, and the later switch to slicks – with Hulkenberg stopping one lap later than Hamilton, who was within two seconds of the time.

“We had an eye on the weather that was coming, which I think is what everyone did. And then I think Nico just felt like his intermediates had just had it, and we thought the same. So we boxed him at that point. It was absolutely the right decision.

“And I think then the other significant decision, given Lewis' pace, was the time that we boxed onto the medium tire after that. We waited. We kept our powder dry. We weren't the first to go. We were watching very carefully what the other drivers did. And I think we got the timing right on that.”