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How about that from Nico Hulkenberg?! The podium dream is very much alive and kicking! In his second weekend behind the cockpit of Racing Point‘s RP20, Hulkenberg set the third quickest lap time in qualifying. As a result, the German will start Sunday’s 17th Anniversary Grand Prix in P3.

Hulkenberg, replacing Sergio Perez for the second time in a row, has been impressive right throughout the race weekend thus far. Nico didn’t set anything worse than a 6th quickest lap time in free practice 2, achieving the fourth-best lap time in the two other practice sessions. Therefore a P3 start shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Nico was understandably buzzing after that performance. He was heard on the team radio saying, “Yeehaw! Get in there Racing Point. Nice One!” That was a pretty good copy of something Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington would usually say. Perhaps Racing Point’s rivals may report them for copying Mercedes yet again? 😉

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Will Nico Hulkenberg finally get a chance to pop the champagne in F1?

181 F1 entries and not a single podium. Hulkenberg holds the official record for going the maximum races without a single podium finish. Not a record one would want to be associated with. Certainly not a driver of Hulkenberg’s caliber.


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He had a rollercoaster of a weekend at the British Grand Prix. Unfortunately for him, it ended in a disaster. Despite showing considerable pace in the practice sessions, he failed to deliver during qualifying. However, race day was an even bigger nightmare. The poor chap didn’t even participate due to his RP20 failing to fire up.

Nevertheless, having been given a second bite at the cherry, he’ll be looking to come good this time around. This is definitely his best chance to land on the podium. He’ll be well aware of that fact too. Besides, considering that the whole world is rooting for him to break his podium duck, it’ll not only be a morale booster but also add a good deal of pressure on him.

Key for Hulkenberg will be to drown out those thoughts and focus solely on the race. Just enjoying the occasion, rather than thinking too much about the implications if he misses a podium, will be a good plan for Hulk to follow. Good luck Nico!

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Source: YouTube.com