There are few sights more jarring at Silverstone than a Red Bull car pirouetting across the tarmac, but that is precisely what greeted British Grand Prix fans on Sunday as Max Verstappen, the man whose dominance once seemed routine, suffered a costly spin and laboured home in fifth place.
It was a race characterised by tricky conditions, strategic gambles, and moments of pure frustration. Yet for Verstappen, who appeared unusually philosophical after the chequered flag, the afternoon was not defined by personal disappointment. Instead, he chose to highlight a more sentimental victory—Nico Hülkenberg’s long-awaited and richly deserved first podium finish in Formula One.
“He was the first one to come to me when I got out of the car,” Hülkenberg told Viaplay, moments after stepping off the podium and into the record books. The 37-year-old had previously held the unenviable record for the most F1 starts without a top-three finish—239, to be exact. “I would have liked to have done it from the start, like Max, but my career and my path were slightly different. I just had to keep believing.”
Verstappen, just 27 and already a three-time world champion, was more than happy to let the spotlight shine on his long-time friend and former karting rival. “Yes, great. That’s the positive from the day. Just very happy for him,” he said, grinning in a way that made clear the result mattered more than his own trials.
It was a rare glimpse of the sport’s more human side, something often obscured by data, dominance, and the cut-throat nature of modern F1. Hülkenberg’s journey—nearly 15 years without a podium, through failed stints, missed chances, and midfield anonymity—seemed almost anachronistic. But the emotion was real, and the respect between the two drivers palpable.
“We go way back to the karting days,” Hülkenberg reflected. “A lot of respect for each other. A lot of respect for what he does and what he stands for. And he’s a great person.”
That warmth stood in stark contrast to Verstappen’s own afternoon. From the moment the lights went out, he was at odds with his car. “Just oversteer, understeer. No pace from the start. I really had to cling to the steering wheel,” he said, half-laughing at the absurdity of it all. “There’s still a bit of humour in it, because it feels like there’s nothing else than that.”
Some observers pointed to the Dutchman’s daring, ultra-low-downforce setup—the same one that had propelled him to a surprise pole—as the chief culprit. It may have worked on Saturday, but in the treacherous and unpredictable Sunday weather, it left him floundering.
“I expected it to be difficult, but not that difficult,” Verstappen admitted. “We’re not fighting for the championship anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I had no grip and I made a mistake, but I’m not angry.”
That last remark speaks volumes. The man who once seethed at anything less than perfection now appears more detached, perhaps even resigned to a season slipping away. “I’m not thinking about the championship. In the end it wasn’t bad to come back to fifth. I’ll take it race by race—sometimes it will be better, sometimes it will be worse.”
Even Oscar Piastri’s controversial 10-second penalty for braking behind the safety car failed to elicit more than a shrug. “It’s happened a few times now that people do that in front of me,” Verstappen said. “I only heard after the race that he got ten seconds for that. It’s extreme, yes, but I don’t make the rules.”
Red Bull’s Helmut Marko offered a similarly muted outlook, conceding that the team is no longer seriously chasing titles this season. “There are a few things still in the pipeline,” the 81-year-old told Servus TV, “but as we can see, it’s not enough to even come close to McLaren.”
“That pole position was a combination of Max and a risky setup. I think we just have to acknowledge that McLaren is superior and it’s going to be very difficult to come close.”
It is a strange moment for Red Bull—no longer the hunters, nor quite the hunted. For Verstappen, still easily the best driver on the grid, the challenge now is psychological as much as mechanical. But even on a day when the trophy eluded him, he found a different kind of satisfaction: celebrating a friend’s overdue triumph.
And sometimes, especially in this often heartless sport, that means more than another line in the record books.
Main Image: Steffen Prößdorf via Wikipedia
