Two more left-rear tyre failures for Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Toro Rosso driver Jean-Éric Vergne led to race director Charlie Whiting deploying the safety car.

In the World Constructors' Championship, Mercedes overtook Ferrari, moving to within 48 points behind Red Bull with eleven rounds remaining in the season.

For the race, several drains to improve circuit drainage and prevent water accumulation were installed, and the outside tyre wall at the exit to Chapel Curve was extended by 50 m (160 ft).

[25] The team also modified the car's suspension system, introduced a new front wing and multiple aerodynamic upgrades in anticipation of improving performance.

Charles Pic lost control of the rear of his Caterham and collided with the barrier at Club turn, removing the front wing.

[32] The Red Bull duo of Webber and Vettel, Force India's Paul di Resta, Hamilton, Ricciardo and his Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Éric Vergne, Sutil, Lotus' Romain Grosjean and Alonso followed in positions two to ten.

[31][33] Felipe Massa was limited to seven timed laps because he lost control of the rear of his Ferrari on a damp area at the exit of Stowe corner,[32][33][34] damaging the front suspension sliding across the inside tyre barrier before stopping at the pit lane entry.

[34][35] After the session, Hamilton was summoned to the stewards and received his first reprimand of the season for not complying with their instructions to remain to the right of a bollard for safety reasons entering the pit lane.

[38] McLaren's Sergio Pérez sustained a left-front tyre puncture at the exit to Copse turn,[38] which was caused by an unidentified object creating a large cut in the wheel's sidewall and damaging the car's floor.

[43] Vergne, 13th, ran wide at the exit of Becketts Curve on his fastest lap, possibly because of the aerodynamic turbulence of airflow over Vettel's car removing downforce and causing the error.

[44][45] Van Der Garde was demoted five grid positions after the stewards concluded he had collided with Hülkenberg at the preceding Canadian Grand Prix.

[53] Webber and Grosjean made contact through Abbey corner, damaging the former's carbon fibre front wing, and driving onto the run-off area and fell to 14th position.

His teammate Massa, in fourth, sustained the race's third tyre failure on lap ten when his left rear wheel deflated in Aintree corner, spinning onto the run-off area.

[2] Pirelli technicians took the rear tyre rubber to their garage for analysis, advised teams to raise pressures to 24 psi (170 kPa) and told drivers to avoid mounting the kerbs.

[2][3] Between laps 12 and 13, Alonso overtook the Lotus duo of Räikkönen and Grosjean on the Hangar Straight and Vergne into Brooklands corner to move into sixth.

[51] As he did so on the Hangar Straight linking Stowe corner,[2][55] Vergne's left-rear tyre failed at 180 mph (290 km/h) and littered debris on the circuit.

[2] As he was released, Alonso was forced to brake to avoid hitting Grosjean's car as he entered his pit stall, allowing Räikkönen past him.

He drove slowly round Club turn and stopped at the side of the main straight next to pit wall to retire for the first time in 2013.

[51][53] Entering the Hangar Straight, Alonso was slipstreaming Pérez at 179 mph (288 km/h) when Perez's left-rear tyre failed without warning and damaged his floor.

[51][52] On the final lap, the Lotus team retired Grosjean in the pit lane because of front wing damage slowing him,[2][57] just as Massa overtook Sutil for sixth.

[52][54] Di Resta was ninth after a late-race error,[53] and Hülkenberg tenth after a slow puncture required him to make a pit stop earlier than scheduled.

[3] At the podium interviews, conducted by 1996 world champion Damon Hill,[59] Rosberg called it "a very, very special day" because of the progress the Mercedes team had made over the season.

[60] Alonso said he felt it was a lucky race for his team due to the loss of position after making a pit stop during the second safety car period.

[60] Rosberg was summoned to the stewards to explain a perceived non-compliance of rules for not slowing enough for waved yellow flags and not overtaking early in the race between turns three and five.

"[63] Räikkönen said his team Lotus had made a strategy error dropping him from second to fifth in the final laps: "It's three races now where we haven't had the result we maybe expect, but hopefully if we can have a bit more luck and also get rid of some of the mistakes we'll be able to get back to the front.

[65] Button on used, cold tyres said he was "a sitting duck" because he was vulnerable to being overtaken after the safety car was deployed: "I was just waiting for people to pass me.

[3][67] A total of 20 tyre failures during the season caused the Grand Prix Drivers' Association to write a letter to Jean Todt, the FIA president, demanding action.

Button, Vettel and Ferrari test driver Pedro de la Rosa met Todt to express their concerns to him.

[68] After several drivers and senior Formula One personnel asked for further action to be taken and had raised their concerns to the media,[68][69] Todt ordered tyre supplier Pirelli to be present at a meeting of the Sporting Working Committee with team principals at the Nürburgring on 3 July to propose new measures to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring in the long-term.

[71] Pirelli agreed to increase the strength of its tyres by changing the internal belts material from steel to flexible reinforced kevlar fibre to lessen the possibility of a puncture as a stop-gap solution for the following German Grand Prix.