Sauber staff principal Jonathan Wheatley described Nico Hulkenberg’s podium efficiency on the British Grand Prix as among the finest drives he has ever seen.
Hulkenberg began nineteenth however remarkably climbed by the sector in moist situations to run third, earlier than a remaining pit cease for slick tires led to him him opening up a snug hole over Lewis Hamilton and maintain off the Ferrari driver by greater than 5 seconds. Wheatley – who joined Sauber from Purple Bull earlier this yr – says it ranks among the many finest drives he has witnessed, as Hulkenberg lastly stood on a podium for the primary time after 239 race begins.
“Nico drove an excellent race,” Wheatley stated. “Among the finest I’ve seen at Silverstone. Among the finest I’ve seen of any driver ever. And it appears unbelievable to me that we’re all celebrating a podium. It feels to me like he ought to have been getting all of them his profession. It appears to be the longest-waited podium ever.
“He confirmed his class. He did not put a wheel unsuitable. And the staff made all the fitting selections by way of technique. Stayed out once we wanted to remain out. After which switched to the medium on the proper time. I am simply very, very pleased with him.
“I can not converse for anybody apart from myself, [but] I’ve thought of him to be a rare expertise for a really very long time. And I feel I have been constant in saying that to everybody right here. It appeared unbelievable to me that he is by no means achieved a podium in his profession. I feel he confirmed what he is able to. And I feel additionally for him it is a milestone. The monkey’s off his again.
“I feel Nico confirmed what he is able to. I feel, given the fitting race automobile, given the fitting circumstances, he is able to delivering that. I’ve little doubt he can win a race.”
Wheatley believes the important thing to the rostrum was the timing of each an early first pit cease for brand new intermediates, and the later swap to slicks – with Hulkenberg stopping one lap later than Hamilton, who was inside two seconds of the time.
“We had an eye fixed on the climate that was coming, which I feel is what everybody did. After which I feel Nico simply felt like his intermediates had simply had it, and we thought the identical. So we boxed him at that time. It was completely the fitting resolution.
“And I feel then the opposite important resolution, given Lewis’ tempo, was the time that we boxed onto the medium tire after that. We waited. We stored our powder dry. We weren’t the primary to go. We have been watching very fastidiously what the opposite drivers did. And I feel we received the timing proper on that.”
