Sauber workforce principal Jonathan Wheatley described Nico Hulkenberg’s podium efficiency on the British Grand Prix as probably the greatest drives he has ever seen.
Hulkenberg began nineteenth however remarkably climbed by the sector in moist circumstances to run third, earlier than a closing 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 12 months – 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 mentioned. “Among the finest I’ve seen at Silverstone. Among the finest I’ve seen of any driver ever. And it appears unimaginable 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 mistaken. And the workforce made all the suitable 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 aside from myself, [but] I’ve thought-about him to be a unprecedented expertise for a really very long time. And I believe I have been constant in saying that to everybody right here. It appeared unimaginable to me that he is by no means achieved a podium in his profession. I believe he confirmed what he is able to. And I believe additionally for him it is a milestone. The monkey’s off his again.
“I believe Nico confirmed what he is able to. I believe, given the suitable race automotive, given the suitable 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 believe is what everybody did. After which I believe 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 suitable determination.
“And I believe then the opposite important determination, given Lewis’ tempo, was the time that we boxed onto the medium tire after that. We waited. We saved our powder dry. We weren’t the primary to go. We have been watching very fastidiously what the opposite drivers did. And I believe we obtained the timing proper on that.”
