Nico Hulkenberg's breakthrough podium for Swiss-based Sauber at the British Grand Prix will boost belief in the future Audi works team, according to principal Jonathan Wheatley.
Hulkenberg, 37, finished third at Silverstone for the German's first podium finish in 239 starts, an achievement many thought would never happen for a driver who made his Formula One debut 15 years ago. He also started last on the grid in Sunday's chaotic and rain-affected race, another element that made his success more surreal.
"What I've taken from today is people start believing in us," Wheatley told a bigger crowd of reporters than usual outside the Sauber paddock hospitality on Sunday night.
"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 [overall boss] Mattia [Binotto] and all the hard work he's been putting in before I came here is coming to light. It's true. We've got a very long journey towards where we need to be as a team and it's a great step when you're starting on the journey."
Sauber were last overall with only four points last season after finishing ninth out of 10 the year before, but new management has arrested a downward spiral and turned fortunes around.
Former Ferrari boss Binotto has overall charge of the project, with Wheatley joining from Red Bull to run the team at the racetrack and prepare for the transformation into Audi next season.
Sauber also have a new lineup this year of Hulkenberg and Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, last year's Formula Two champion.
This season Hulkenberg has finished fifth in Spain to lift Sauber off the bottom of the standings and he has scored in his last four races, with the team only 18 points behind fifth-placed Williams. His points tally of 37 in 12 races is far more than the team scored in the last two seasons combined.
Asked whether Sauber were further ahead than expected in their plan for the future, Wheatley refused to tempt fate.
"You can think of the plan as a straight line and there's some hairpins on the way and there's some stoplights and traffic works," he said. "It's a great day for the team. Everyone's working so hard here. It was a mature race performance."
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