Maiden podium reaction 'overwhelming' as Hulkenberg and Sauber target P5 in Teams' Championship

Nico Hulkenberg has admitted the reaction to his maiden Formula 1 podium in the British Grand Prix was "overwhelming" and that Kick Sauber has every chance of claiming fifth in the Teams' Championship.

On his 239th start, Hulkenberg stood on the podium for the first time in a Grand Prix earlier this month at Silverstone having survived the changeable weather and late pressure from seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to claim a popular and unlikely result.

Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, Hulkenberg revealed that he had been inundated with hundreds of messages after the achievement but that shaking the moniker of having never reached the podium was "not something actively on my mind" beforehand.

"[It was] nice to have a bit of time after to enjoy the moment properly and not to dive straightaway into the next Grand Prix, so that was good timing," said Hulkenberg.

"Just an incredible race and those conditions, very tricky but made all the right decisions and rewarded ourselves coming from last which was pretty crazy and special. The aftermath was also overwhelming, the feedback and responses we got, well over 700 messages. Took me a good week to work through it all but nice to see all that."

The German also confirmed he had visited Sauber's factory back in Switzerland in order to enjoy the moment with those who had not been at Silverstone.

"I think it was important to go back and cherish the moment and share that with everyone in the factory as well, not just at the track. It was good, amazing memories, amazing emotions for us and I hope that they can boost us for the rest of the season," he said.

Sauber has been on a strong run of form of late, scoring more points in the last four races than Red Bull thanks to a run of points finishes for Hulkenberg, while team mate Gabriel Bortoleto bagged his maiden points in Austria.

It leaves the team, which will become the Audi outfit from 2026, sixth in the Teams' Championship but only 18 points behind Williams as the F1 season enters its second half with 12 races remaining.

"I think you also have to remember on Saturday [at Silverstone] both cars were out in Q1 and it didn't look that fantastic and had it been a dry race, it would have been a totally different story and outcome," admitted Hulkenberg.

"You always have to remember that, but definitely from Barcelona we gained some momentum. We made a big step forward with the car and especially in the long stints we have a good race car now and we can do something even with not the best starting position.

"I think many teams can aim for that [P5 in the championship]. I think there's probably all the midfield teams that can have a crack at it and realistic chance. It's always going to be a little bit track dependent maybe who is going to be more competitive that weekend but I feel that we're all in a very tight battle."