This F1 driver now takes over Nico Hülkenberg’s illustrious record: most races without a podium finish

Hülkenberg

Yesterday was not about Verstappen’s disastrous race, the battle between the McLarens, Piastri’s time penalty or the new leader in the championship, but mainly about Hülkenberg’s podium finish. For years the German has been considered one of the most constant midfielders in F1. His speed was never the problem, but either he crashed at crucial moments (Singapore 2017), or his team simply did not have the material to compete. But yesterday everything came together and Hülkenberg took his first podium finish in his 239th Formula One race. With his third-place finish, he finally got rid of the unenviable record of most F1 races without a podium.

New record holder

With Hülkenberg’s podium, compatriot Adrian Sutil now tops the list of drivers with the most GP starts without a cup or champagne. Sutil drove no less than 128 Grands Prix between 2007 and 2014 without ever finishing higher than fourth, at the time in Monza 2009. With that, he now leads the rankings, followed by names like Pierluigi Martini, Philippe Alliot and Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese still has a chance to drive his name off the list, but after 99 starts without a podium, his clock is also ticking solidly by now. For Sutil, there is no longer a second chance – he left Formula 1 at the end of 2014.

1️⃣ Adrian Sutil – 128 starts, best result: 4th
2️⃣ Pierluigi Martini – 119 starts, best result: 4th
3️⃣ Philippe Alliot – 109 starts, best result: 5th
4️⃣ Yuki Tsunoda – 99 starts, best result: 4th
5️⃣ Pedro Diniz – 98 starts, best result: 5th

Who is Adrian Sutil again?

Adrian Sutil made his Formula 1 debut in 2007 at Spyker and remained with Force India for many years after the acquisition. He drove there between 2008 and 2011, returning in 2013 after a year’s suspension in 2012 and then impressed with a strong race in Australia and a fifth-place finish in Monaco – his best result ever. However, his career also had low points, including a suspended prison sentence following a fighting incident with Lotus chief Éric Lux in 2011 and his involvement in Jules Bianchi’s fatal accident at Suzuka 2014, which followed a crash by Sutil himself. He switched to Sauber in 2014, but disappointing performance and a legal battle over an unreviewed contract caused him to disappear from Formula One at the end of 2014. Attempts at a comeback in endurance (Le Mans) failed and a test at Toyota in 2016 yielded nothing. After that, he turned his back on motorsport for a long time.

Since then, Sutil has been active as an entrepreneur: he founded his own company, Sutil’s Fine Wines, in 2017. In 2022, he surprised with a return to the Ferrari Challenge Europe, in which he even managed to win races. Meanwhile, at the age of 41, he seems to have permanently hung up his helmet.

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^{Header photo: Red Bull content pool}