F1 British GP: Hamilton wins rain hit Silverstone thriller

Defending Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit for the third time in his F1 career, after passing

Lewis Hamilton\'s win came despite the Briton being passed by both Williams drivers a virtual safety car period and a late race rain shower that threatened to work against him until a perfectly timed switch to intermediate tyres. (PIC: Pirelli)

Hamilton\'s win at Silverstone was the third British Grand Prix win of his career and the 38th of his career, putting him just two wins behind Sebastian Vettel and three behind Ayrton Senna. (PIC: Mercedes AMG F1)

Hamilton extended his lead in the drivers\' championship to 17 points over teammate Nico Rosberg who finished second. (PIC: Mercedes AMG F1)

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari took advantage of the late race rain to leapfrog both Williams drivers and take third place behind the Mercedes AMG pair. (PIC: Ferrari Media)

Defending Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit for the third time in his F1 career, after passing the fast-starting Williams pairing of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas in the first round of pit stops.

Massa and Bottas rocketed to first and second positions at the start of the race, although pole-sitter Hamilton was able to pass Bottas to regain second by end of lap 1. However, the British driver again slipped down to third place, after making a failed attempt to overtake Massa at the penultimate corner.

The order stayed the same at the front until the first round of pitstops where Hamilton executed an undercut to regain the lead of the race, with Massa and Bottas dropping to second and third places respectively.

A few spots of rain followed in the second half of the race, before proper showers rendered the track too wet for slicks. And it was during this brief period that Rosberg shined in the sister Mercedes, overtaking Massa and Bottas to move up to second place.

However, just as he was about to reach Hamilton’s gearbox, the British driver dived into the pits for intermediate set of tyres, with Rosberg following a lap later. The timing of the pit stop worked beautifully for Hamilton, who could then cruise to the finish line.

Sebastian Vettel pitted at the same time as Hamilton and reaped dividends, crossing the finish line in third place, having earlier run in the bottom half of the top 10. Kimi Raikkonen finished down in eighth place in the other Ferrari, having lost a heap of time by pitting during the first downpour.

Williams - who looked to have control of the race - finished fourth and fifth with drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, and are set to face some tough questions from the media for their conservative strategy.

Daniil Kvyat piloted the sole remaining Red Bull to sixth, after Daniel Ricciardo retired with engine troubles early in the race.

Both Force Indias finished in the top 10 in the upgraded VJM08, with Nico Hulkenberg crossing the line in seventh and Sergio Perez bringing home two more points in ninth.

And finally, Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season in 10th, having switched to McLaren-Honda over the winter. However, with just 13 cars making it to the chequered flag, the result doesn’t signify a major step forward for the British team.

A THRILLING RACE AMID THE NEGATIVITY

F1 has been mired in negativity ever since the advent of V6 era, with many complaining about lack of on-track action and unpredictably. And the British GP provided just that with Williams occupying top two spots in the first half of the race, and rain spicing things in the latter stages.

Fans showed positive reaction on social media, with #BritishGP trending worldwide on Twitter the time of writing.

F1 British Grand Prix - Results (Top 10)