For a few years, Nico Hulkenberg had carried the undesirable F1 document of holding probably the most race begins with out a podium end – however the German driver lastly ridded himself of that statistic by taking P3 within the British Grand Prix. He was not alone in having to bide his time for his first rostrum, nevertheless, with the names under dealing with the longest waits in F1 historical past for that elusive top-three end result…
10. Felipe Massa – 57 begins
Felipe Massa arrived into F1 with Sauber in 2002, the younger Brazilian bringing with him loads of promise. However after being dropped on the finish of the marketing campaign, Massa spent a yr as a check driver for Ferrari earlier than returning to the grid with Sauber one yr later.
Gaining expertise with the Scuderia appeared to repay for the person from Sao Paulo, who did sufficient in 2004 and 2005 to earn himself a spot on the Ferrari race group as Michael Schumacher’s group mate in 2006.
Along with his finest end at this level being a P4, Massa lastly took the subsequent step by attaining his debut podium on the European Grand Prix on his 57th race begin, claiming third place behind Schumacher and Renault’s Fernando Alonso.
It could show to be the primary of 41 rostrums for Massa throughout his F1 profession, wherein he additionally went on to attain 11 wins and 16 pole positions.
9. Gianni Morbidelli – 60 begins
Whereas he’s maybe one of many lesser-known drivers on this checklist, Gianni Morbidelli amassed a complete of 67 Grands Prix begins throughout six completely different seasons within the sport, racing for groups together with Minardi and Sauber.
However it was not till race quantity 60 – by which level he was driving for the Footwork outfit – that Morbidelli stood on the rostrum, when Adelaide hosted the Australian Grand Prix for a closing time to shut out the 1995 marketing campaign.
Morbidelli lined up in P13 on a grid of 23 vehicles, whereas the Williams of Damon Hill began from pole place. It quickly proved to be a race of attrition, as all the vehicles close to the entrance of the pack – excluding Hill – retired from the Grand Prix.
This gave Morbidelli – whose finest end result previous to this had been a P5 – a chance for a robust end result and it was one which the Italian seized, crossing the road in third to clinch what can be his sole rostrum look on a day the place solely eight drivers have been categorized.
8. Esteban Ocon – 66 begins
The primary of three present drivers to make an look on this countdown, Esteban Ocon made his F1 debut on the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix with the Manor group. Two seasons at Power India adopted, wherein his finest end was a P5.
After being changed on the group by Lance Stroll in 2019, Ocon spent a yr as a Mercedes reserve driver earlier than returning to the grid with Renault in 2020. It proved to be a season of combined fortunes for the Frenchman – however higher was to come back on the penultimate spherical in Sakhir.
In an action-packed race, Ocon labored his method up from P11 on the grid to take second place, marking an emotional maiden podium on his 66th F1 begin. The podium was certainly one of firsts, with Sergio Perez claiming his debut victory for Racing Level.
Since then, Ocon has completed inside the high trio on an additional three events, certainly one of these being his first-ever win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
6= Johnny Herbert – 67 begins
Johnny Herbert loved an intensive F1 profession, collaborating in 161 Grands Prix from his debut within the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix by to his closing look on the 2000 season finale in Malaysia.
Whereas he ended his first race in P4 on the wheel of a Benetton, the Briton didn’t handle to match this within the years that adopted while driving for the likes of Tyrrell, Lotus and Ligier – however a return to Benetton on the finish of 1994 hinted at higher prospects.
On the fourth Grand Prix of the marketing campaign in Spain – and on his 67th race begin – Herbert stood on the rostrum for the primary time because of a P2 end, with World Champion group mate Michael Schumacher main a 1-2 end result for the squad.
4 races later, Herbert adopted this up along with his maiden victory on the British Grand Prix. He went on to attain 5 extra rostrums in his F1 profession, the ultimate one being his memorable victory for Stewart Grand Prix at the 1999 European Grand Prix.
6= Pedro de la Rosa – 67 begins
Tied with Herbert on a wait of 67 begins earlier than scoring a podium is Pedro de la Rosa, with the Spaniard’s alternative not arriving till a shock return to the grid.
After making his debut for Arrows in 1999, De la Rosa accomplished two seasons with the group earlier than spending the subsequent two years at Jaguar. He then grew to become a check driver for McLaren in 2003, and was later known as upon to interchange an injured Juan Pablo Montoya on the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix, wherein he equalled his finest results of P5.
When Montoya left the squad halfway by 2006, De la Rosa once more stepped as much as fill the Columbian’s seat – and on his third look of that season in Hungary, the Spanish driver completed P2 in what would show to be the one podium of his F1 profession.
De la Rosa was joined on the podium by Honda’s Jenson Button, who had simply clinched his debut win. Talking of whom…
5. Jenson Button – 68 begins
That aforementioned victory in Budapest came on Button’s 113th race start – and whereas his look ahead to a podium was not fairly as lengthy, the Briton nonetheless needed to maintain out till his 68th Grand Prix to succeed in the highest three.
Whereas he impressed throughout his debut season with Williams in 2000, a subsequent two-year spell with Benetton/Renault proved more difficult. After being launched on the finish of 2002, Button moved to BAR Honda.
Issues have been enhancing in 2003, nevertheless it was in 2004 that all of it got here collectively for Button. Simply two races in, the Briton achieved his debut rostrum with a P3 end in Malaysia – and he went on to rack up an additional 9 podiums throughout that yr, placing him in a then career-best third within the championship.
That was just the start for Button, who amassed a complete of fifty podiums, 15 wins and to not point out the 2009 World Championship throughout a profession spanning 306 race begins.
4. Mika Salo – 73 begins
Nico Hulkenberg (extra on whom later) garnered a repute for being a ‘tremendous sub’ when he stepped in for unwell drivers between 2020 and 2022 – however greater than 20 years earlier, that title arguably may even have been given to Mika Salo.
Salo had made 68 race begins for groups together with Lotus, Tyrrell and Arrows between 1994 and 1998 when he discovered himself with out a full-time drive for the 1999 season. He was known as upon to interchange an injured Ricardo Zonta at BAR Honda for 3 races – earlier than then substituting for Michael Schumacher at Ferrari throughout six Grands Prix after the German broke his leg.
It proved to be an impressed determination, with Salo main the race in solely his second outing for the squad at Hockenheim. The Finn finally moved apart to let group mate Eddie Irvine by as a part of the latter’s championship bid – however Salo nonetheless took P2, marking his first podium on his 73rd begin.
He returned to the podium with a P3 end at Monza in his penultimate look for the Scuderia. Stints with Sauber and Toyota adopted in 2000 and 2002 respectively, however Salo didn’t attain the rostrum once more.
3. Martin Brundle – 91 begins
Higher identified lately as a pundit and commentator, Martin Brundle made 158 begins throughout his profession as a Formulation 1 driver, competing for groups together with Tyrrell, McLaren and Jordan between 1984 and 1996.
The Briton technically first stood on the rostrum throughout his debut season, crossing the road in second place for Tyrrell in Detroit – however with the group later being disqualified from that yr’s championship for a technical infringement, the end result now not stood.
This meant that Brundle’s look ahead to a rostrum went on – and it was not till the 1992 French Grand Prix, with Brundle now racing for Benetton on his 91st begin, that it lastly got here to an finish, the British driver turning P7 on the grid right into a P3 end.
It was the primary of a complete of 9 rostrums for Brundle, 5 of which have been achieved with Benetton in that 1992 marketing campaign earlier than he scored two apiece with Ligier and McLaren.
2. Carlos Sainz – 101 begins
Paired with fellow rookie Max Verstappen for his debut season at Toro Rosso in 2015, Carlos Sainz needed to watch on as his group mate obtained promotion to the principle Pink Bull outfit 5 races into 2016, the Dutchman promptly winning in Spain on only his 24th race start.
For Sainz, endurance was a advantage when it got here to reaching the podium himself. After impressing at Toro Rosso and Renault, the Spaniard joined McLaren in 2019 as a part of an all-new line-up alongside Lando Norris.
Sainz got here into his personal throughout his time with the Woking-based outfit, one thing that he demonstrated on the penultimate race in Brazil by climbing from P20 on the grid to P4 on the line.
And when Lewis Hamilton – who had initially completed in third – was hit with a five-second time penalty for a collision with Alex Albon post-race, Sainz was promoted one place, handing him his debut top-three end result on his one hundred and first begin.
As issues stand, Sainz has earned a complete of 27 podiums, 25 of which have been earned throughout his four-year stint with Ferrari. Can he add to that quantity throughout his new period with Williams? Solely time will inform…
1. Nico Hulkenberg – 239 begins
And now to the person who was fairly rightly in celebratory temper on the British Grand Prix after standing on the rostrum for the primary time – following a lengthy wait of 239 Grand Prix starts.
Nico Hulkenberg arrived on the F1 grid again in 2010 with Williams aged 22, a season wherein he claimed a shock pole place in Brazil. However the German needed to be affected person when it got here to following that accolade up with a go to to the podium.
Throughout stints with Power India, Sauber and Renault, Hulkenberg didn’t handle to higher his then career-best race results of P4. After shedding his seat on the finish of 2019, he then returned for a number of substitute appearances rather than unwell drivers throughout 2020 and 2022 – which acted as the proper reminder of his skills.
Making his comeback for Haas in 2023, Hulkenberg delivered some robust outcomes – nevertheless it was not till his swap to Kick Sauber and a dramatic weekend on the 2025 British Grand Prix that the racer from Germany lastly broke his podium duck.
Ranging from P19 on the grid, the veteran driver confirmed his expertise as he navigated altering situations to work his method forwards – earlier than finally holding off a problem from Lewis Hamilton to seal P3, bringing Hulkenberg a long-awaited podium on his 239th begin.
