British Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari tactics, Ferrari trump Mercedes again, Valtteri Bottas wilts

Sebastian Vettel took full advantage of Lewis Hamilton's first-lap collision with Kimi Raikkonen to win the British Grand Prix and extend his lead in the drivers' championship, leaving Formula One's first ever triple-header with an eight-point lead over the reigning champion.

The battle between the two four-time world champions never really developed at Silverstone after Hamilton's poor start, which relegated him from first to third, was followed by Raikkonen spinning him at turn three, and while Vettel disappeared into the distance Hamilton had to rebuild from the back of the field.

He quickly went about fixing the damage, passing 11 drivers in just 10 laps, and by the time the first stops started Hamilton was back up to sixth and closing down the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

Raikkonen earned a 10-second penalty for his part in the crash, but when the stops has cycled through Hamilton still found himself behind the Finn.

That all changed when Marcus Eriksson went off in his Sauber Alfa Romeo to bring out the safety car, and while Ferrari and Red Bull pitted their drivers, Mercedes did not. That gave Valtteri Bottas the lead and promoted Hamilton to second, and while Bottas could not hold on - slipping to fourth - Hamilton chased home Vettel to finish second and limit the damage as best he could.

Here's five things we learned.

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There should have been plenty for Lewis Hamilton to celebrate with his fans even if he failed to win the British Grand Prix for the first time since 2013. Having been pointing the wrong way 20 seconds into the race, his stirring drive from last to second was on just short of a fairy tale story.

But instead, all was not well with the four-time champion. His anguish with not transforming pole into a win was clear to see as he left parc ferme before giving his necessary interview, and when he finally spoke on the podium he suggested that Kimi Raikkonen’s contact may have been a deliberate tactic from Ferrari – something that simply wasn’t true.

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In recent races the gap between Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault has not been that obvious. But here at the uber-fast Silverstone circuit, the true gulf between the Renault power unit and its competitors was painfully obvious. This was made apparent by Hamilton’s charge back through the field as he overtook a staggering 11 cars in 10 laps, the bulk of which were Renault, Honda and Ferrari powered.

The difference between the two frontrunners in Mercedes and Ferrari was less obvious out in front, but for Renault it must have been incredibly disheartening to see their rivals disappear into the distance and show just how much work they’ve got to do in the off-season.

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Valttero Bottas’ chances of winning the British Grand Prix were done a world of good when the second safety car came out immediately after the first, and for a handful of laps after racing eventually went green again he displayed enough defensive nous to keep Vettel at bay.

It has been a criticism of Bottas, like Nico Rosberg before him, that since joining Mercedes he has not shown the aggression needed to take the next step. He showed signs of that by sticking to his defensive lines whenever Vettel attacked him on the Wellington Straight, but eventually his fight fell away and Vettel appeared to catch him napping when he returned to the normal line into Brooklands.

If Bottas is to start mixing it up with Hamilton and Vettel on a regular basis, he needs to prove he is capable of putting it all on the line.

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The first safety car period sprung Ferrari and Red Bull into life as they immediately pitted their cars to fit fresh tyres for the closing stages of the race – even if it meant conceding track position. But once again Mercedes dallied and decided not to pit either driver in the hope that their superior tyre wear would see their Pirelli mediums hold on.

The decision made sense for Hamilton who had little to lose, but for Bottas it cost him what appeared to be a certain podium and a tilt at the victory. It would have made more sense to pit Bottas and leave Hamilton out on track, as Red Bull boss Christian Horner alluded to on the pit wall immediately after, in order to hedge their bets.

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On Saturday we saw a frightening practice crash for Brendon Hartley as he fired into the tyre barrier at the end of the Wellington Straight, and there was another heart-in-your-mouth moment on Sunday when Marcus Ericsson got his entry to Turn One wrong and hurtled towards the barriers at a rate of knots.

With the safety car deployed and teams readying for pit stops, onlookers watched on fearing the worst, given that Ericsson’s Sauber Alfa Romeo had shot off at close to 180mph and buried itself deep into the tyres. But thankfully, the Swede hopped out unharmed, with all 130,000 in attendance at Silverstone and millions worldwide breathing a sigh of relief.

As speeds in F1 continue to rise, particularly in the corners, it’s imperative that safety remains at the forefront of the sport. We’ve seen this with the ‘Halo’ device already this season, with the tethers that kept the wheels of Hartley’s Red Bull and Ericsson’s Sauber attached and countless after technological advances that makes F1 such a safe place in the modern day, and Sunday was certainly a day to be thankful for how far the sport has come.