Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel completed the podium. Here is what some of the drivers had to say after round nine of the 2015 season. Hamilton:
"It's been a very, very special weekend for me. I thought I'd seen it all last year but the fans have just been unbelievable. I could never have imagined this level of support - this one is for them. The race obviously got off to a bad start but the guys did a great job with the first stop to turn it around. Then, when the rain came, it was really tough out there in a different way.
"As the one in front it was so hard to judge where to push and my front tyres went so cold. I think that's the best pit call I've ever made to come in at that time. From there it was just bringing it home. I have to admit, as I came round that last lap I was welling up seeing all those people on their feet. What an unbelievable day and an unbelievable feeling. I'm so, so grateful."
Ricciardo:
"I was really optimistic and excited for this weekend but it didn’t work out for us on the day. We suffered an electrical problem which forced us to retire. I could feel the loss of power going into turn 7, we tried circulating for a few laps to try and fix it, we also tried to reboot the engine in the pits but unfortunately it didn’t work.
"The last few races haven’t been kind to us but that’s racing. We have some time off to look forward to and we’ll go into Hungary a little more hopeful as the track there should suit us better."
"It is a frustrating result because the race was amazing today. I had a fantastic start and we were fighting with Mercedes the whole time, it could even have been possible to win the race if it had stayed dry, which is great to see.
"It was a shame to lost positions in the rain. We waited one lap longer on the second stop which is where we lost the opportunity to be on the podium. That shower also highlighted the car’s weakness in the wet."
Vettel:
"I had a really bad start, I nearly didn’t get off the line and lost positions. At the restart I made up a position, but I lost two as a consequence. It didn’t seem to come together at this point, a bit like the whole weekend for us, but then we were able to turn it around.
We recovered through strategy, mostly by being very aggressive.
"I was in touch with the team all the time, it was not easy to take the right decision with the weather. But we did a great call to pit just in the perfect lap, made up a lot of ground and finished on the podium. I’m sorry for the people that got wet, but the rain helped us today.
It was in the end a podium finish that we deserved, as we made the right call at the right time.
"Williams did a small step forward, for us I think we just didn’t find the rhythm at this weekend. There is plenty of things we have to learn and understand quickly. We are not in favour of these hard tyres, but it is the same for everyone, so no excuses allowed. If you look at the gap to the first two cars, it was bigger than normal, so it is up to us to come back for Hungary."
Alonso:
"It’s not the best of results, but 10th position helps to motivate everyone. The whole team is incredibly focused and we all know this is a long-term project, and there are no magic solutions, but to get a decent result, and to put some points on the table, is always important.
"The start was unbelievable. It was a big mess as we arrived at Turn Three. The two Lotus drivers were far too aggressive, and they touched each other; in avoiding them, I had a half-spin, and touched Jenson. There were a lot of retirements, and little common sense on display. Still, we know we’re improving, and today has been a good day for morale."
"That was an entertaining afternoon and it’s great to come away from our home race with a good bunch of points. My start was sensational – maybe the best I ever had in Formula One – and I rocketed up to fifth place ahead of the two Ferraris. I was able to keep them behind me for the first stint, but they had too much pace and were able to use the strategy to jump us by pitting early.
"When the rain arrived at the end of the race the track was very slippery. I was a bit unfortunate with the timing because I had just passed the pit lane entry when the rain became really heavy and I had to do a full lap before I could change to intermediates.
"Overall, though, I think seventh place is a great result and we should be satisfied. A lot of the performance today is down to the updates we brought here. It’s moved us in the right direction so I have to say a big well done to the team."
Verstappen:
"A very short race for me unfortunately. I didn’t have the best of starts and I suffered from a lot of wheel-spin. Luckily I was able to escape from the crashes that happened in front of me, but when the race restarted after the Safety Car period I suddenly lost the rear of the car at Turn 2.
"Even though I only damaged the front wing a bit, I wasn’t able to reverse and my race ended there. A shame, but we can’t change it now so we just need to focus on the next race, keep my head up and come back stronger."
Grosjean:
"That was a very short race for the team and I feel for everyone here at Silverstone and at Enstone. Daniel must have thought his brakes and tyres would be able to slow him better than they did and the result was the end of both my and Pastor’s race.
"No-one likes to end a Grand Prix like that as so much effort goes into making and preparing the cars. I know we have many fans who want to see us race so I feel for them too. Budapest is next, and we’ve gone well there in the past. I’m pumped-up to fight for every single point available."
"A good result for the team but incredibly frustrating for me. The weekend up until the race had been really positive and even in the early part of the race we were going strong on the option tyres, which were working really well for me. When it started to rain we stopped for Inters but we had 15 laps on them and the worst of the rain only lasted for a couple of laps.
"I was effectively on slicks by the end of the race and that’s what caused me to spin off and damage my nose. Overall, we have to look at the positives though. We’ve made a good step forward here, so well done to the team, and the support of my home crowd has been incredible. All in all it has been a special weekend and one to remember."
Ericsson:
"It is disappointing to miss out on points when we had it in the bag for quite a long time. The first half of the race was reasonable. I had a good start, gaining some positions on lap one. My pace was good, so I was able to keep up with our direct competitors.
"It was one of those days when it was difficult to make predictions, as it started to rain on some parts of the track and others were still dry. It was not an easy situation, either for the drivers or for the team. Unfortunately, we made too many pit stops today. We need to sit down and analayse what we could have done differently."
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