Nico Rosberg took a sensational victory at the British Grand Prix to give Mercedes their second win of the season, in part thanks to the drama that unfolded during the race.
Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton suffered from a puncture on his left-rear which dropped him down to last position, handing the lead to Sebastian Vettel, but the German would later retire with a gearbox issue.
That promoted Rosberg to the lead where he stayed until the 52nd and last lap to claim 25 points.
Mark Webber managed to secure second place, just seven tenths behind Rosberg, despite a poor start dropping him to 14th whilst Fernando Alonso charged through the field from ninth to take the final podium position.
Home favourite Hamilton fought back from last to claim fourth, finishing just six tenths behind the Ferrari.
The race will surely come under scrutiny however after four left-rear tyres exploded in spectacular fashion (Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sergio Perez), prompting a safety car to give the marshals time to inspect and clear the track of debris.
That was one of two safety car periods, the second for Vettel’s stricken Red Bull which stopped on the pit straight.
Race Result – 2013 British Grand Prix:
| # | Driver | Team | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 25 | |
| 02. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +0.7 | 18 |
| 03. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +7.1 | 15 |
| 04. | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | +7.7 | 12 |
| 05. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | +11.2 | 10 |
| 06. | F. Massa | Ferrari | +14.5 | 8 |
| 07. | A. Sutil | Force India | +16.3 | 6 |
| 08. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | +16.5 | 4 |
| 09. | P. di Resta | Force India | +17.9 | 2 |
| 10. | N. Hulkenberg | Sauber | +19.7 | 1 |
| 11. | P. Maldonado | Williams | +21.1 | |
| 12. | V. Bottas | Williams | +25.0 | |
| 13. | J. Button | McLaren | +25.9 | |
| 14. | E. Gutierrez | Sauber | +26.2 | |
| 15. | C. Pic | Caterham | +31.6 | |
| 16. | J. Bianchi | Marussia | +36.0 | |
| 17. | M. Chilton | Marussia | +67.6 | |
| 18. | G. van der Garde | Caterham | +67.7 | |
| 19. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | Retired | |
| 20. | S. Perez | McLaren | Retired | |
| 21. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | Retired | |
| 22. | J. Vergne | Toro Rosso | Retired |
