British Grand Prix 2013 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Nico Rosberg secured a dramatic victory at Silverstone in a race that will forever be remembered for multiple high-speed tire failures that raised serious safety concerns. Hamilton had started from pole and looked set to dominate his home race, but a tire failure while leading forced him to pit, destroying his chances. Rosberg inherited the lead and held off Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso to claim his second victory of 2013, though the result was overshadowed by the tire controversy.

The race witnessed several frightening tire explosions at high speed, including failures for Felipe Massa, Jean-Eric Vergne, and most dramatically for Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez. The incidents sparked immediate criticism of Pirelli's tire construction and prompted emergency regulatory intervention. Rosberg's victory came amid this chaos, as Mercedes demonstrated the pace to win even as the weekend was dominated by safety debates rather than racing.

The tire failures at Silverstone would prove to be a watershed moment for the 2013 season. Pirelli was forced to change their tire construction and compounds for subsequent races, fundamentally altering the competitive balance. Mercedes, who had developed their car specifically around tire management, would see their advantage diminish while Red Bull's high-downforce approach would benefit from the changes, accelerating their path to complete dominance in the season's second half.