Which F1 drivers from 2023 have never stepped on a podium?

Nico Hülkenberg, over 180 races without a podium

With 182 Grand Prix starts to his name, the 35-year-old driver holds the record for the most Grand Prix without a podium finish. Since Singapore in 2017, he has surpassed his compatriot Adrian Sutil and his 128 races.

Nico Hülkenberg tries his hand at motorsport quite late, starting karting at the age of 10. Very talented, he quickly excels and becomes champion of Italy in 2001 and 2002. It is in 2005 that he drives his first single-seater by joining the Formula BMW championship in Germany, which he wins in his first year. The young driver, who excels in everything, eventually wins the GP2 Series championship in 2009 and makes his Formula 1 debut the following year with Williams. His first season is not without challenges, but he manages to finish in the top 10 several times and even secures his first and only pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix, over a second ahead of his closest competitor, Sebastian Vettel.

Despite this performance, his team announces that he will not be renewed for the next season. In 2011, he is then drafted by Force India as a test driver and appointed as a regular driver the following year, during which he achieves the best result of his career by finishing 4th in the Belgian Grand Prix. He is recruited by Sauber for the 2013 season, which ultimately is not a great success. The Swiss team is facing financial problems and can no longer pay Hülkenberg. After a failed contract with Lotus, the German returns to Force India where he has his best season, finishing 9th in the championship. In 2017, he signs a three-year contract with Renault, a top team with which he hopes to finally win. These three seasons will ultimately be marked by ups and downs. In 2020, he loses his seat and takes a step back from F1.

Nico Hülkenberg is definitely a talented driver with a formidable driving skill. He has also gained a lot of experience racing for no less than six teams. While he often finishes in the points, he has always lacked that little something to reach the podium, like in the 2019 German Grand Prix where he was fighting for third place before crashing in the 41st lap.

Back in F1 this year with Haas, the series restarts, so he will certainly be very determined to put an end to it.

Yuki Tsunoda, 43 GPs without a podium

Yuki Tsunoda is the second driver on the 2023 grid to have never stepped onto a podium despite having the most participations. He has been with AlphaTauri for two full seasons and is now starting his crucial third season, which is typically decisive for AlphaTauri drivers. While the Japanese driver has scored significant points, notably finishing 4th, he has never made it to the F1 podium.

Guanyu Zhou, 23 GPs without a podium

Third in the F2 championship in 2021, he is given a seat at Alfa Romeo in 2022 and fulfills his dream of becoming the first Chinese driver to compete in F1. He scores a point in his first race and later has a decent season. He ultimately finishes the year in 18th position. In his second season with the Italian team, he’s no longer seen as a rookie and will try to prove himself. However, the path to the podium still seems long.

The rookies

The grid welcomes three new drivers this year.

Oscar Piastri, the author of a flawless journey, has joined McLaren. Very talented, there is no doubt about his ability to reach the top of the standings. Unfortunately, McLaren is starting the year on a bad note and it is not guaranteed that the MCL60 will be performant enough to allow the young Australian to make it onto the podium.

Logan Sergeant has often faced obstacles throughout his career. Nothing has been easy for the American, but he has always persevered. Recruited by Williams for the 2023 season alongside Alexander Albon, he could prove to be valuable for the team’s comeback. The duo already seems stronger than the previous season, so if the car performs well, a healthy rivalry could push him to new heights.

Finally, as a reserve driver for Mercedes and the teams it powers since 2020, Nyck de Vries made his appearance at the last Italian Grand Prix under the colors of Aston Martin, and then for Williams to replace the ill Alexander Albon. De Vries achieved a small feat by qualifying his car in Q2, while the regular driver, Nicholas Latifi, was eliminated in Q1. And he didn’t stop there, as the next day he finished the race in 9th position, thus scoring his first points in his Formula 1 career. Following this moment of glory, he joined AlphaTauri.

The other 15 drivers on the grid, all of them having been on the podium at least once

So it’s the interesting statistic of the balance sheet. Therefore, three quarters of the drivers on the grid of the F1 season 2023 have stepped on the podium at least once during their career.