Strategy Masterclass: How Sauber catapulted Hülkenberg to the podium

(Motorsport-Total.com) - Nico Hülkenberg's podium finish at the British Grand Prix came under the worst possible circumstances. The German qualified only in 19th place and thus started the race from the last row. His final podium finish in third place was thanks not only to a flawless drive, but above all to a strategic masterpiece by his team. So how did Hülkenberg manage to gain a full 16 places?

Let's start at the beginning: Even before the race officially started, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman decided to switch to slicks on the opening lap – a gamble that didn't pay off. It wasn't until lap seven that the dry tires were faster than the intermediates. Before that, they lost five to ten seconds per lap.

Hülkenberg had already gained five positions in virtual terms. However, the teams now faced a difficult decision: Russell was three seconds faster than leader Oscar Piastri on lap eight on his slicks, but heavy rain was forecast. Should they switch to the currently faster dry tires or stay out and wait for the rain?

Round nine: Sauber bets on heavy rain

In retrospect, Sauber made the right decision by switching to new intermediates on lap nine. The team caught the exact moment the heavy rain set in. Not only did the drivers on slicks have to pit, but those who had started on intermediates also had to change their overheated and badly worn tires.

Only Esteban Ocon in the Haas tried to stay out on his starting intermediates. But he was significantly slower on the heavily worn tires – on lap eleven, he lost a full six seconds to Hülkenberg. Eventually, Ocon, too, had to put on new intermediates under the safety car.

On his out lap on lap ten, Hülkenberg matched Oscar Piastri's time in the second sector – on worn intermediates – and in the third sector, the German was even 1.3 seconds faster. The top drivers, such as Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton, stayed out for another lap. Hamilton lost over five seconds to Hülkenberg on his in lap.

After the stops for fresh intermediates, Hülkenberg was now in fifth place, as everyone in the midfield – with the exception of Lance Stroll – had made the change too late. Then Max Verstappen spun during the safety car restart, which pushed Hülkenberg up to fourth. By now, it was clear: A podium finish was within reach – if he could overtake Stroll in the Aston Martin.

Second stop: Hülkenberg gets the perfect lap again

And indeed: Towards the end of the second intermediate stint, the Aston Martin was experiencing massive problems with tire wear. On lap 34, Hülkenberg overtook Stroll and one lap later was already three seconds faster. Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari was now his biggest rival—he had only finished behind Hülkenberg due to his late first stop.

Hamilton appeared to be faster, but the effect of dirty air was particularly pronounced in the rain, so it all came down to a strategic duel at the final pit stop. The track was beginning to dry out, and the change to slicks was imminent—but when was the right moment?

Fernando Alonso was the first to pit – on lap 37. But that was clearly too early. In sectors two and three of his out lap, he lost 10.5 seconds to leader Oscar Piastri. Even on lap 42, Alonso was still six-tenths slower than the McLaren before setting what was temporarily the fastest lap of the race on lap 43.

In retrospect, a pit stop on lap 42 would have been ideal – and who was in the pits at that exact moment? That's right: Nico Hülkenberg. His closest rival, Lewis Hamilton, came in a lap earlier – presumably to overtake the Sauber with an undercut.

Outlap: How Hamilton threw away the podium

But an undercut didn't make much sense at this point, as the pit lane exit was still very wet and it took several laps for the tires to warm up. The overcut was the better choice at this stage. Furthermore, Hamilton made a fatal mistake in the first sector of his out lap, which cost him ten seconds—and, in retrospect, the podium.

Hülkenberg once again demonstrated his class in the changeable conditions: He set the fastest time on the medium tires for a time. In his final sprint on the soft tires, Hamilton made further driving errors, and towards the end of the race, the soft tires could no longer keep up with the medium in terms of pace.

Three factors decisive for Hülkenberg's podium

The data from our technology partner PACETEQ shows three decisive factors for Hülkenberg's first career podium: a perfect strategy with optimally timed pit stops, a flawless driving performance from the German, and a Sauber car that was once again extremely competitive in terms of race pace.

Looking at pure race times, Hülkenberg was the fourth-fastest driver in the field, averaging 1.14 seconds per lap behind the McLaren at the front. He had a clear command of the midfield, four-tenths per lap, even though the Sauber still seems to be lacking some pace after a fast qualifying lap.

A detailed data analysis of the British Grand Prix is ​​also available on the Formel1.de YouTube channel . There, data expert Kevin Hermann uses the PACETEQ strategy software OneTiming to analyze, among other things, Ferrari's rain crisis, the strategy fiasco at Mercedes, and explains why Red Bull had absolutely no chance despite pole position.