13/07/2025 13:50
Stake boss Jonathan Wheatley believes Nico Hulkenberg's podium will
mean "people start believing" in Audi's nascent F1 project. In the
chaotic wet-dry-wet-dry British GP at Silverstone, Hulkenberg
climbed from 19th on the grid to finish third to finally claim his
first F1 podium at the 239th time of asking, also delivering
Stake's first-ever podium. For the Hinwil-based outfit, it was a
first podium since Kamui Kobayashi was third at the 2012 Japanese
GP, as the team continues to transition to Audi for the '26
season. The result moved Stake up to sixth in the constructors'
from ninth prior to the weekend, with new boss Wheatley of the
opinion that the result will build strong momentum and belief among
the team that it can deliver big results. "I've spoken about how
important momentum is in a team, and for me, what I take from this
result is that people start believing in us," Wheatley told media,
including RacingNews365. "I can say the words, I can say we're
gaining momentum, I can say we're putting performance on the car, I
can say all the hard work Mattia [Binotto] put in before I got here
is coming to light, but it is all true. "We've got a long journey
to where we need to be as a team, and it is a great stepping stone,
but I am trying to keep my feet on the ground. "You can't think of
the plan as a straight line, there are some hairpins on the way,
some stoplights and traffic works, but it is a great day for the
team. "Everyone is working so hard, and it is still a young team
gelling together, but there were some nerves [in the pit-crew with
Hulkenberg's final stop]. "We're getting to know each other, and
there is more confidence. I've been on this journey before, and it
takes a little while for everyone to feel fully comfortable."
