'Almost outrageous’ behavior on the podium draws widespread criticism towards McLaren duo

14:53, 08 Jul

Co-author:Tobia Elia

byNicole Mulder

Nico Hulkenberg was the biggest surprise of the Silverstone weekend. While McLaren dominated the race, much of the attention ultimately went to the German, who finally secured his first Formula 1 podium in his 239th start. However, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — who shared the podium with the Sauber driver — faced significant criticism for their behavior.

A touching video of Hulkenberg’s delighted daughter witnessing her father’s first F1 trophy went viral on social media.

At the same time, fans online criticized how the McLaren drivers handled the moment, suggesting that Norris and Piastri showed little respect for Hulkenberg’s remarkable achievement, climbing from 19th on the grid to finish third.

Max Verstappen and Nico Hulkenberg

Dutch pundits critical of McLaren drivers

Olav Mol and Jack Plooij also noticed: "What is surprising: on the podium, the two McLaren drivers sort of forgot about him. I found that rather sad," Plooij says on the Ziggo Sport show The Round Table.

Mol agrees with his fellow countryman: "Almost outrageously so. Normally, when someone gets their first podium, the others would lift you on their shoulders."

The commentator refers to the Canadian Grand Prix as an example, where Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured his first podium: "Russell and Max indeed had some disagreement from Spain in Canada, they still had to see the stewards. But Kimi gets his first podium, he gets all the glory. The McLaren drivers just completely neglected Hulkenberg."