Lewis Hamilton claimed a record sixth home British Grand Prix win after overtaking Mercedes’ team-mate Valtteri Bottas at Silverstone. The 34-year-old was not in the top-two finishers for the first time this season in the Austrian Grand Prix a fortnight ago but, after starting behind pole-sitter Bottas on the grid, Hamilton came through to secure his seventh win from 10 races.
The five-time world champion made an early bid to claim the lead and, having got the better of Bottas on lap five, the Finn responded to reclaim the advantage at Copse corner moments later. However, the presence of the safety car when Antonio Giovinazzi crashed out was hugely beneficial to Hamilton as he managed to pit and then return in the lead which he held on to for the remainder of the race.
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Bottas maintained his second place in another one-two finish for the Silver Arrows, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed the final podium spot. Hamilton, who also pinched the extra point for posting the fastest lap, now sits 39 points clear of Bottas at the top of the drivers’ standings at the halfway stage in the 2019 campaign. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly took fourth ahead of teammate Max Verstappen, who was knocked off the track in a collision with Sebastian Vettel, which earned the Ferrari man a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points of his super licence.
Mclaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr finished sixth, followed by Renualt’s Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo, while Toro Rosso duo Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon completed the top 10 places. Vettel finished down in 15th place, while it was a miserable afternoon for Haas with Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean both retiring.
