MOTORSPORT: Mercedes ecstasy, Ferrari, Ricciardo agony

What a difference a day makes in Formula 1. Sometimes.

Lewis Hamilton was a shattered man after a hydraulics failure left him only 14th in qualifying for the German Grand Prix. A day later he was a miraculous winner at Hockenheim and Mercedes scored a one-two, with Valtteri Bottas obeying team orders to stay behind the world champion.

Sebastian Vettel's pole position for Ferrari had been "one of the best moments" of his career and he was running away with his home race on what has been a bogey circuit for him. Then he made what he described in different breaths as a small and a huge mistake as rain arrived – whichever it was, it certainly had an enormous impact.

"I braked just a tiny bit too late for the [Sachs] corner, locked the front tyres and then the rear ones, so that I couldn't turn the car anymore," Vettel said.

His Ferrari slithered off the track, across a gravel trap and into an advertising hoarding in front of a tyre wall, with Vettel thumping his steering wheel in frustration before offering a tearful apology to his team over the radio.

There was huge disappointment for Australia's Daniel Ricciardo too. Having started at the rear of the field after numerous parts of his Renault power unit were changed for this race, he fought his way up to sixth but dropped out before half-distance – his fourth retirement in 11 GPs this year.

"I heard something strange when I was downshifting for turn six and then once I accelerated out of the corner I lost power and the engine started to sound pretty sick," carsales.com.au global ambassador Ricciardo said.

"I got on the radio straight away and expected the team to ask me to pull over, which they did.

"Obviously pretty frustrating. I think the race would have come to us.

"Anyway, would have, could have, that's racing and I feel like I have been in this position too often this season. It hurts, it always does.

"Hopefully I can go and win in a week's time [in Hungary] before we all head off for the [northern] summer break."

However, there must be the prospect of more grid penalties for new parts again at the Hungaroring in Budapest.

Before that Ricciardo and Red Bull Racing will hold talks on finalising a contract extension after Mercedes confirmed new deals for Hamilton and Bottas. Ferrari is expected either to retain Kimi Raikkonen, third at Hockenheim, or install 20-year-old Charles Leclerc, on loan to Sauber in his rookie season, as Vettel's teammate.

The Mercedes quinella – its first in its homeland – came in front of the company's chief executive, Dieter Zetsche.

It was Hamilton's fourth victory in Germany, equalling the great Michael Schumacher on that score, and it was the first time a GP has been won from as low as 14th on the grid since Fernando Alonso's 2008 Singapore victory with Renault. For that win Alonso was controversially assisted by teammate Nelson Piquet Junior, who was ordered to crash.

There was controversy this time too, albeit on a much smaller scale, with the Mercedes camp having to front stewards until 2½ hours after the chequered flag over a move that proved decisive in Hamilton's success.

After Vettel crashed Hamilton had entered the pitlane but then swerved back on to the track, giving him – once Raikkonen pitted on the next lap – the race lead for the restart.

A rule in the FIA International Sporting Code states: "Except in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards), the crossing, in any direction, of the line separating the pit entry and the track by a car entering the pit lane is prohibited."

However, the stewards decided to give Hamilton only a reprimand rather than a time penalty or anything more serious. They took into account that Mercedes candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion within the team about whether to pit or not, that the infringement happened during a safety car period and that there was no danger to any other competitor and the change in direction was executed safely.

Hamilton now leads Vettel by 17 points (188-171) in the drivers' world championship after having gone to Hockenheim eight points behind.

"I've never experienced a race quite like this," Hamilton said.

"I knew sitting on the grid that I had to catch the guys at the front – that was my goal.

"I did a very long first stint, but I had to stop just before it started to rain as the tyres just couldn't hold out any longer.

"It rained more and more and it was so tricky out there, but I'd come so far, there was no way I was giving it up.

"To get the one-two for Mercedes, especially on a weekend when the team showed their confidence in us by re-signing us, is tremendous.

"I would never have thought you could do something like that today but I just kept pushing; I kept believing and it happened.

"I prayed as I always do before the race, and it feels like those prayers were answered.

"There was a lot of negativity this weekend, but I feel like the rain has come down and washed away all of that negativity.

"It's been a real dream and a day I'll always remember."

Ricciardo is fifth in the standings on 106 points, behind Raikkonen on 131 and Bottas on 122, and Ricciardo remains one point ahead of Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, who was fourth in Germany after a gamble on intermediate tyres backfired because the rain was only intermittent – until a downpour after the chequered flag.

New Zealander Brendon Hartley's 10th place gave him his first point since Azerbaijan – the fourth GP of the year. Hartley is driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull's secondary team using the Honda power unit to which the energy drink company's main team will switch next season.

Mercedes leads the constructors' championship with 310 points to Ferrari's 302, with Red Bull a distant third on 211.