Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri called out as F1 fans all say the same thing

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were criticised by F1 fans on social media after they were perceived to have ignored Nico Hulkenberg on the British Grand Prix podium. The Sauber driver crossed the line in third on Sunday, ending a 15-year wait for a trip to the rostrum. Hulkenberg's trip to the podium was the highlight moment of the weekend in the eyes of many, and that was reflected in the reaction of his Sauber colleagues.

A huge cohort of engineers and team personnel were waiting in Parc Ferme for his arrival, and team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto sprinted through the paddock to congratulate the German. However, on the podium, the German was left to celebrate his achievement alone. After the anthems were played and the trophies were handed out, Norris and Piastri sprayed one another with champagne and drenched technical director Peter Prodromou, who was McLaren's chosen representative on the Silverstone plinth.

This did not go down well with some F1 fans, who peppered McLaren's social media posts with frustrated comments. "Not celebrating with Nico is beyond disappointing," one fan wrote on X. "He deserved better and more respect."

Another commenter added: "Hulk deserved a better podium celebration than the one he got here. They totally ignored him at the start, what an absolute shame." Another fumed: "READ THE ROOM! Not celebrating Nico's podium is disgraceful!"

Even fans of Andrea Stella's team were disappointed. "I'm a McLaren fan, and I think it's embarrassing that no one on the team celebrated with, or even acknowledged Nico," a supporter wrote. "Do better."

While Hulkenberg's achievement didn't produce wild podium celebrations from Norris and Piastri, the long-awaited end to his top-three drought garnered widespread praise from his F1 rivals.

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"[Nico is] one of the best drivers on the grid that never had the opportunity to have a proper car underneath," said two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who finished ninth. "And yeah, I'm very, very, truly happy for him."

Former Renault team-mate Carlos Sainz agreed with Alonso's sentiment. "For me, he's always been a top-five driver in the grid every time he's been in F1," he said. "So I'm glad he has his podium now to shut up everyone that doubted him. For me, I never doubted him."

Hulkenberg's fairytale result has positive implications for Sauber's Constructors' Championship hopes, too. The Hinwil-based outfit have climbed to sixth in the standings with a five-point advantage over Racing Bulls and Aston Martin below.