The relationship between Enzo Ferrari and Peter Collins had been rather complicated in the summer of 1958 with Ferrari convinced that Collins was losing his edge. At the French GP Collins was demoted to the Ferrari F2 team but team leader Mike Hawthorn stood up to Ferrari and Collins was reinstated in the F1 team. Luigi Musso's death at Reims left Ferrari without one of his top drivers and so Collins's position in the team was suddenly safe. At the British GP Ferrari decided to run only three cars, the third being driven by Wolfgang von Trips. The opposition came from Vanwall, BRM and Cooper and the front row of the grid boasted one car from each major team with Stirling Moss (Vanwall) fastest from Harry Schell (BRM), Roy Salvadori (Cooper) and Hawthorn. Cliff Allison put his Lotus fifth, while Collins with sixth and Stuart Lewis-Evans seventh.

On the first lap Collins burst through from the second row to lead by the time the field went down Hangar Straight. Moss was second with Hawthorn, Schell, Brooks and Salvadori in a tight bunch behind him. Collins increased the lead lap by lap with Moss and Hawthorn having broken away from the pack. On lap 26 Moss's Vanwall blew its engine and so Collins was left in the comfortable position of having his team mate and friend behind him. Lewis-Evans was third but he was soon overtaken by Salvadori. Hawthorn had a hurried pit stop for oil a few laps later but managed to stay ahead of Salvadori. Collins duly won the race from Hawthorn while Salvadori just managed to hold off Lewis-Evans for third.