It was a thrilling end to the triple header in Silverstone as dry-wet-dry conditions made the race unpredictable until the very end.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton to take the chequered flag first, though, by just 1.4 seconds ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen.
Hamilton's teammate and pole sitter George Russell retired from his home race from a suspected water pressure issue. He led a British 1-2-3 after Saturday's qualifying session.
Mclaren also showed off their pace as both cars were leading at length at points in the race, but an awful strategy call for both drivers at different points shattered their hopes of a 1-2 finish.
overall, it was a race dominated by strategy and experience and Mercedes and Red Bull (but not Sergio Perez!) played their cards well. Mercedes now look to improve their form after a challenging two years.
Hamilton: "You've got to continue to dig deep"
Speaking with F1 after the race, Hamilton started with gratitude for his team, which he has won 6/7 of his championships with.
"“This is my last race here at the British Grand Prix with this team [before Ferrari], so I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they’ve been putting in all over these years".
It has not been easy for him since he took his last win at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Mercedes have struggled to bounce back after the regulations changed in 2022.
“It’s so tough, I think for anyone,” he said. “I think the important thing is just how you continue to get up, and you’ve got to continue to dig deep even when you feel like you’re at the bottom of the barrel.
“There’s definitely been days between 2021 and here where I didn’t feel like I was good enough, or whether I was going to get back to where I am today, but the important thing is I had great people around me, continuing to support me".
While he was in the top 4 for almost the whole race, there were points where he had to fight with his teammate and the Mclarens to reclaim the lead.
As the rain got stronger at Stowe corner, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri found their stride and overtook both Mercedes before Piastri's strategy of staying out for one more lap put him out of contention.
"When that rain came, I knew that that was the moment to pounce," Hamilton continues. "Then we both went off and the McLarens came by. I couldn't believe it".
"I couldn't understand how they were able to generate so much heat still in their tyres or maybe it's the aero or whatever. But then just trying to hold on to them. And then obviously that last stint, I think we timed it perfect".
George Russell: "We definitely had a shot of at least a podium"
The elation was not carried into the other side of the Mercedes garage after George Russell's retirement on lap 34 with a suspected water issue.
After taking a victory in Austria last weekend, the Brit was downbeat when questioned by the media.
“Yeah, really disappointed. It was… Everything was under control at the beginning in the dry, then very challenging conditions in the damp".
“I started losing power and next thing I had to retire the car, so yeah, really disappointing”.
After Silverstone, George Russell sits 7th and only one point ahead of his teammate at 111 points.
"I mean, for sure we’ll take the positives,” George continued. “The car’s fast and we’ll have more opportunities, but retiring from any race is disappointing, let alone your home race. We definitely had a shot of at least a podium”.
Mercedes currently sit 74 points behind McLaren in the constructor's championship and are firmly now in the top four fastest teams on any given weekend with strong performances in the triple header.
They now head to Hungary in two weeks' time.
