Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix after Verstappen crash
Lewis Hamilton controversially WINS British Grand Prix after bouncing back from 10-second penalty given for his role in first-lap crash with Max Verstappen which ended title rival’s race
- Lewis Hamilton battled from a ten-second penalty to win the British Grand Prix
- The Brit collided with Max Verstappen putting the Dutchman out of the race
- Hamilton overtook Lando Norris and team-mate Valtteri Bottas for second
- He then got past the impressive Ferrari of Charles LeClerc with two laps left
- The result means he is now just eight points behind Verstappen in the title race
- Verstappen was taken to hospital during the race for a precautionary check
In the end this was won by Lewis Hamilton after 52 laps but forget 51 of them, the story here was about nine thrilling corners on the opening one that completely changed the complexion of the title race.
Much was made of Hamilton’s sluggish start in Saturday’s Sprint qualifying. His Mercedes, he said, ‘didn’t deliver’ despite him hitting his target. Max Verstappen, who ignored flames licking away at his front left tyre, pounced and never looked back to take pole.
And so less than 24 hours later they were back on the front grid, this time swapped places and with a 140,000-strong – largely partisan – crowd in attendance on the hottest day of the year so far, the stage was set for a classic.
Lewis Hamilton took victory at Silverstone for the eighth time in his Formula One career
Lewis Hamilton overtook Charles Leclerc with two laps left to win the British Grand Prix
Hamilton dived down inside of Verstappen into Copse corner as he tried to go for the lead
Hamilton’s left front made contact with Verstappen’s right rear, putting him into the barrier
What followed was a duel of epic proportions, as good as anything fans have been served up so far this season. Not even Tom Cruise, who was here as a guest of Mercedes, could have scripted an opening scene like this.
How Verstappen will have been at pains to see Hamilton take control of the race with two-and-a-half laps to go. Charles Leclerc was too aggressive on the curb and lost momentum giving Hamilton the clear air to go first. What was a 33-point lead for Verstappen was no just seven.
To those that sensed the title race was becoming a formality, think again.
But back to the opening lap where everything changed for Verstappen and ended with him being sent to a local hospital.
Verstappen kept ahead into Turn 2, then it looked like Hamilton was going to get an inside line, the crowd gasping in unison at two very near misses, a strand of hair all that separated the cars.
Hamilton was roared on. He needed to make a statement after the flat performance in the Sprint and this was just that. ‘We can’t overtake them,’ he moaned on Saturday. It seems he had changed his tune on Sunday.
Leclerc held the lead after the opening lap crash but couldn’t hold on with two laps to go
Verstappen was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after his crash with Hamilton
He sensed his moment heading into Copse corner where drivers are at their quickest with the foot firmly on the accelerator.
Down the inside he went once more, again incredibly close to Verstappen, and this time they hit as Hamilton’s Mercedes clipped the rear right wheel of the travelling 180mph Red Bull.
Verstappen spun, his wheel ripped off and he careered into the tyre wall to genuine concern. He winced when he emerged from his car.
‘F**k,’ he groaned on the team radio. ‘Ahhhhhh.’
Out of the race. No championship points to gain here. It was off to the medical centre as he was escorted off in an ambulance. Red Bull were furious at the ‘dangerous driving’ and team boss Christian Horner called for Hamilton to be solely to blame. Helmut Marko, a senior figure over at Red Bull, was on German TV asking for a suspension.
Hamilton was given a ten-second penalty and battled back to win from fourth position
In the end it was a 10-second time penalty for Hamilton. Not that it mattered as he claimed his 99th Grand Prix win.
‘Every driver that has driven at this circuit knows you do not stick a wheel up the inside of Copse,’ Horner fumed to FIA director Michael Masi.
‘That’s an enormous accident and it was Max’s corner. As far as I’m concerned, full blame is on Hamilton for that incident, he should never have been in that position. Thank god he’s walked away unscathed.’
Verstappen’s car looked like something from Scrapheap’s Challenge when stewards lifted it away. All Hamilton had damaged was one of his rims. Mercedes protested that the manoeuvre was fair. Stewards disagreed and so on we went after a brief red flag interlude.
Hamilton’s victory has reignited his title push as he goes for an eighth championship
It was Ferrari who benefitted most from the Red Bull-Mercedes tangle. Leclerc getting out in front before the red flag and when the lights went out for the second restart he managed to hold Hamilton off to stay there until Lap 50 when it all went horribly wrong.
Sebastian Vettel in his Aston Martin, who were racing at the British GP for the first time in 61 years, tussled with Fernando Alonso on the restart only to spin off casually at Woodcote. He went from a top six spot to back of the grid. He later retired in what was a miserable afternoon.
But this was all about Hamilton, who got a helping hand from team-mate Valtteri Bottas when team orders swapped them round controversially on Lap 50. A red-hot display on the hottest day of the year and suddenly that eighth championship doesn’t seem so far away.
‘This is still on,’ Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told his star driver.
‘Damn right Toto,’ Hamilton said. ‘Damn right’.
Sportsmail’s KIERAN LYNCH provided live Formula One coverage of the British Grand Prix, including build-up, updates and result.
Host commentator
Charles LeClerc says over the radio he is so disappointed and he is told by his team principal that it was a fantastic race by him.
Excellent job by the Ferrari driver after the last year in which they have looked well off the pace.
What a charge by Lewis Hamilton who takes his 8th British Grand Prix victory and that might be the most important of his career!
Brilliant drive by Charles LeClerc who finished second ahead of Valtteri Bottas with Lando Norris fourth.
There will be some post-race talk on his accident with Max Verstappen but he is now seven points behind the Red Bull driver in the standings.
Hamilton lifts the British flag on his way back to the pits.
So as it stands Lewis Hamilton will close the gap to seven points to Max Verstappen. What a horrible day for Red Bull.
Heartbreak for Charles LeClerc and Ferrari but they just didn’t have the pace to keep Hamilton at bay.
Copse corner was the scene of the crash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen but there’s no issue here as the Brit gets past Charles LeClerc with the assistance of the Ferrari driver running wide under pressure from the Brit.
Lewis Hamilton is now in DRS range!
Latifi lifts off in Copse corner allowing both men past and Hamilton is inside LeClerc’s slipstream.
He closes the gap to half a second and this is going to be such intense pressure on the Ferrari driver’s shoulders.
The crowd are on their feet for Lewis Hamilton and they sense a victory.
Charles LeClerc’s lead is down to just under 1.5 seconds and they are now behind Nicholas Latifi.
Nicholas Latifi is the first man that the pair will come up to.
Meanwhile Pierre Gasly is in for a puncture and Kimi Raikkonen spins out of the top ten allowing Sergio Perez into the pits.
There were tyre problems at the end of last year’s British Grand Prix, is Gasly’s issue a sign of things to come?
The two leaders are catching up to a bunch of back markers who could play a part in the outcome of this race.
Lewis Hamilton has a blistered tyre as the lead comes down to under three seconds.
The gap from Charles LeClerc to Lewis Hamilton is now just under four seconds. At this rate it looks like it will be difficult for the Ferrari driver to keep him behind.
Sergio Perez tries to get past Yuki Tsunoda for 12th and he does make the move though the Japanese driver made it difficult.
Lewis Hamilton is now just 4.6 seconds behind Charles LeClerc.
Charles LeClerc is continuing to put in personal bests but Lewis Hamilton is taking more and more time out of the Ferrari.
Further back Carlos Sainz is still putting pressure on Daniel Ricciardo for sixth while Fernando Alonso is doing well to hold on to seventh.
Lewis Hamilton has taken a big chunk of time out of Charles LeClerc, a whole second out of the Ferrari despite the leader putting in his best lap of the race.
Sergio Perez is up to 13th after a pass on George Russell.
So the challenge for Lewis Hamilton is to make up an 8.3 second gap to Charles LeClerc.
The day is over meanwhile for Sebastian Vettel who is told there’s a problem and to retire his car.
Vettel never really recovered from his early race spin while challenging Fernando Alonso.
Team order by Mercedes as Valtteri Bottas is told not to fight Lewis Hamilton and into Stowe they switch positions.
Hamilton sets the fastest lap and the fight is on for the win.
The lead is down to under eight seconds now while Sergio Perez is now 16th after his second pit-stop.
With Valtteri Bottas struggling, you’d expect Lewis Hamilton to get past comfortably.
Lewis Hamilton has set the fastest lap and is 2.2 behind Valtteri Bottas.
They are both closing in on Charles LeClerc, with an eight second gap between the top two.
Sergio Perez pits a second time. He will have to make some overtakes to get back into the points.
Valtteri Bottas tells his team that at this pace it will ‘be difficult to get to the end’ complaining about his tyres.
Might he have to make a second pit-stop before the end.
Max Verstappen is taken to hospital it’s been confirmed on the television that he has been taken to hospital for a check-up. His crash is said to have been a whopping 51G.
Lewis Hamilton is coming back at Valtteri Bottas and has now closed the gap to just under 3 seconds to his teammate.
Charles LeClerc at the front is putting out personal bests and is keeping his lead around the nine second mark.
It doesn’t look like today will be George Russell’s day to get points at this time. The Williams driver is down in 14th.
Carlos Sainz is doing all he can to put Daniel Ricciardo under pressure but the Australian driver looks comfortable at this moment.
Lewis Hamilton has dropped some time to his teammate and is now over four seconds behind Valtteri Bottas.
Charles LeClerc is told that the Finnish driver might come at the Ferrari driver towards the end of the race. For now he is still 9.3 seconds ahead of the Mercedes.
Some good battles shaping up down the top ten with Carlos Sainz looking to make up for his slow pit stop as he is right behind Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren.
Further back there’s a battle for 7th with Fernando Alonso just ahead of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez.
Charles LeClerc is extending his lead to Valtteri Bottas and now holds a 9.3 seconds advantage.
Lewis Hamilton in third looks much quicker than his teammate and is 3.8 behind the Finn.
You’d think Bottas won’t make it too hard if his teammate gets to the back of him.
Behind them the order is Norris, Ricciardo, Sainz, Alonso, Stroll, Perez and Gasly.
Lewis Hamilton makes a move into Copse once again but unlike his crash with Max Verstappen, he is well ahead as they approach the corner and is up into third past Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton is gaining on Lando Norris and is almost into DRS range on his fellow Brit.
It’s going to be tough for Norris in his McLaren to keep Hamilton behind him who is on fresher tyres.
No such issue for Charles LeClerc who pits without any hitches and he rejoins in the lead of the British Grand Prix.
His lead is now just under 7 seconds to Valtteri Bottas, Lando Norris third 11 seconds back, and Hamilton fourth 13 seconds back.
What a chance this is for Ferrari!
Charles LeClerc is still going and he has a 26 second lead over Valtteri Bottas as Carlos Sainz comes into the pits.
It’s a horrible stop for the Spaniard who is stationery for 12 seconds!
He rejoins the race in 6th place and it cost him a place to Daniel Ricciardo. LeClerc will box and Ferrari will help they don’t have the same issue.
Valtteri Bottas is told to take care of his right rear tyre as he looks to set some fast laps to close in on Charles LeClerc who still needs to pit.
Lewis Hamilton meanwhile comes into the pits after reporting his left front is ‘dead’.
It felt like forever for the Brit who is stationery for 14 seconds and he rejoins in fifth behind Lando Norris.
It’s now a Ferrari 1-2 though both drivers need to pit and Sainz will likely rejoin behind Hamilton.
Charles LeClerc is asked how many laps he can do a 1:32 and he replies that he doesn’t envisage a drop-off.
If Lewis Hamilton pits at this time he will rejoin behind Lando Norris due to his penalty.
Fernando Alonso has come into the pits and he rejoins behind Lance Stroll but gets back ahead of him later into the lap.
Sergio Perez meanwhile is catching the pair in 11th.
Carlos Sainz who is yet to pit in third sets the fastest lap before Valtteri Bottas in fourth responds with one of his own.
Despite his issues Charles LeClerc is doing a great job keeping a 2.3 seconds lead over Hamilton.
One person to watch is Bottas who is now setting fast times and he could be putting himself into a strong position for this race.
Lando Norris now finds himself behind Fernando Alonso and needs to make quick work of the Alpine and he does so diving past the two-time champion into the Vale chicane.
Charles LeClerc is getting instructions from the Ferrari team again about fixing his engine issue out which despite the team saying was resolved is not quite all okay.
Mercedes respond and pit Valtteri Bottas from third place.
He gets a 2.2 second stop and it’s a gift from McLaren as the Finn jumps the the Brit in the pits but only just!
Bottas actually rejoins behind Fernando Alonso who is yet to stop but the Mercedes driver makes quick work of him to get past.
Charles LeClerc’s lead over Lewis Hamilton is back up to two seconds, they’re showing to have a very nice race car this afternoon as he sets another fastest lap.
Lando Norris meanwhile pits from third but there’s a problem with the right rear tyre!!
It’s a six second pit stop and that might just allow Valtteri Bottas to jump the Brit if he pits now.
Great little battle between Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen with the Finn showing all his experience to keep ahead for a little while before the Mexican gets past for 13th.
Daniel Ricciardo meanwhile pits for McLaren from fifth.
Charles LeClerc sets the fastest lap of the race as Hamilton complains about the state of his tyres.
Ferrari tells Charles LeClerc’s issue is resolved and that his tyres are okay for Plan B.
We have our first pit-stops in the midfield with Raikkonen, Perez and Russell in the pits.
Pierre Gasly is given a black and white flag for abusing track limits.
At the front Lewis Hamilton is putting pressure on Ferrari and sets another fastest lap.
Lando Norris meanwhile is 5.6 seconds off the lead with Valtteri Bottas another second behind.
LeClerc seems to have issues again as Hamilton takes half a second out of him and is now in DRS zone.
Could be big for the race if he can get ahead as LeClerc complains about another engine cut.
Concern for Charles LeClerc as he complains to his team about his engine cutting out.
That seemed to have brought the lead down to a second as Hamilton sets the fastest lap and the pressure is on.
Ferrari tell LeClerc some instructions how to sort the issue out and he is still going.
Sergio Perez is now in a DRS train stuck behind Pierre Gasly which seems to have slowed down his momentum.
Kimi Raikkonen just ahead has a massive slide going into Turn 1 but is able to keep the car on the road and stay in 10th.
Charles LeClerc gets the Plan B treatment on his end of the Ferrari garage.
All running steadily so far, lot of drivers looking to extend their stint if possible.
Charles LeClerc’s lead over Lewis Hamilton is lingering around the two second mark now.
His teammate Carlos Sainz who is running strongly in sixth is told they will go for Plan B or C.
Max Verstappen has been taken to Silverstone Medical Centre for an assessment after his high-speed collision with Lewis Hamilton.
Charles LeClerc is doing a great job to keep Lewis Hamilton out of DRS range so far. He is chasing his first podium of the season and is in line for a big result.
Sergio Perez is up to 12th past Giovinazzi and now has Kimi Raikkonen and Pierre Gasly in his sights
Lewis Hamilton asks his team whether they’ll stay on the same strategy which he gets an ‘affirmative Lewis’ in response.
Sergio Perez is now lining up Antonio Giovinazzi for 12th place.
Lando Norris again is in a podium position and he is a second ahead of Valtteri Bottas and 4.5 seconds off leader Charles LeClerc.
Sergio Perez makes a move on George Russell for 13th place. The Mexican is on the harder tyres so could run longer than the rest of his competition.
Lewis Hamilton has got the fastest lap of the race now as he looks to put pressure on Charles LeClerc.
Hamilton is told over the radio about his penalty but there’s no reaction from the seven-time champion.
He is starting to close the gap to LeClerc, as Lance Stroll puts pressure on Fernando Alonso for seventh.
Hamilton will need to make quick work of Charles LeClerc. His most likely rival is Valtteri Bottas who runs fourth so that penalty does not totally end his chances of victory.
We see replays of Vettel’s spin and in his close battle with Fernando Alonso he loses grip and goes around and is now 19th.
Sergio Perez meanwhile is up to 14th in his Red Bull.
Charles LeClerc leads by 1.2 seconds to Hamilton who gets a 10-second time penalty for his part in the collision with Verstappen.
That’s going to be a very long pit-stop for the Brit when he decides to come in.
The drivers take a long time to get around the formation lap and away we go!
Charles LeClerc keeps the lead from Lewis Hamilton then comes Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo as Sebastian Vettel loses it!
He was battling with his old rival Fernando Alonso and the German is now towards the back.
So we are off on the formation lap and there will be a standing start.
Will there be any more drama?
The drivers are back in their car and the race is about to get back underway.
Charles LeClerc perhaps surprised asks his team if he is going to start in P1, which the Ferrari team tell him the good news that he will start at the front.
How long he will stay at the front is another question with two quick Mercedes drivers behind him.
Damon Hill believes Hamilton could get a penalty for the accident.
He said: ‘I think this is a high-level of aggression and attack from Lewis, sadly he’s kept it on the inside and really banked on Max backing out of it, which he didn’t do.
‘I’m going to come down a bit on the racing incident side of things, but I can’t see how they can’t give Lewis a penalty. He could have backed out of Copse corner, that was a very ambitious move and the consequences were quite serious.’
So with all that madness that has ensued on the opening lap this is the order as it stands.
I was saying it will take some race for Charles LeClerc to win in his Ferrari and he is leading the race from Lewis Hamilton who is under investigation with Valtteri Bottas in third.
The rest of the top ten are Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Kimi Raikkonen and Esteban Ocon.
For Red Bull not so great with Verstappen out and Sergio Perez in 19th after his start from the pit-lane.
Could be a big day for Mercedes to make some significant ground up in both championships.
A message is issued suggesting that the race will get back underway in approximately 15 minutes time.
Mercedes prinicipal Toto Wolff has been sprinting down the paddock and it sounds like he’s going to put Mercedes’ case forward to the stewards.
Red Bull are still fuming about the crash and Jonathan Wheatley sporting director of Red Bull has told Michael Masi: ‘I’ve been watching this replay seven times now and I feel really cross about it. That corner there is not a place to stick a wheel inside the car.’
Masi acknowledges Wheatley and tells him they are investigating the incident.
That Red Bull car has sustained huge damage and it’s taken them a long time to clear the car.
Lewis Hamilton is under investigation for his part in the accident which has got people talking.
Sky Sports pundit and 2009 champion Jenson Button says Hamilton didn’t hit the apex of the corner and could get a penalty as Verstappen ‘gave him enough room’.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner meanwhile is fuming to race director Michael Masi telling him: ‘That corner he (Hamilton) was never near alongside. Every driver who does this circuit knows you don’t stick a wheel inside in Copse.
‘That’s an enormous accident and it was 100% Max’s corner so as far as I’m concerned full blame lies on Hamilton who should have never been in that position. Thank god he’s walked away unscathed so I hope you deal with it appropriately’
The one thing you would say is that it has been coming this season.
When two drivers have raced as hard as regular as they have this season there was likely always going to be an accident at some point.
Hamilton defends his case on the radio saying it was ‘his line’ and ‘he was ahead’.
It wasn’t the first time they made contact as the two battled in previous corners and looks like they made contact once or twice.
So Hamilton running in second and the team can make changes to his car if there is any damage without him losing any places.
The question will be whether the stewards decide to investigate the incident.
Hamilton seems to be a decent amount down the inside of Verstappen but could he have done better to avoid the impact?
It’s going to be a tough one for the stewards.
The red flag has been brought out as there is quite a bit of damage to the tyre wall as Verstappen crashed into it at such high speed.
The drivers have come into the pit-lane and Hamilton has asked his team if Verstappen is alright which he gets an ‘okay’ in response.
Amazing! The two title challengers have come together and Max Verstappen is out of the British Grand Prix.
It’s a huge crash for the Red Bull driver who is out of the car and is visibly wounded and limping.
It came after a fierce battle between the two in the opening lap which led to the pair colliding as Hamilton attempted to get past.
Charles LeClerc now leads the race and Hamilton is second though does he have any damage?
So here we go the cars are on their way for the formation lap as the mechanics rush off the track.
Just a reminder that the man who started in P2 yesterday. Max Verstappen jumped Lewis Hamilton at the start to win the Sprint race.
Can the Mercedes man return the favour?
Every driver will start on the medium tyres apart from Sergio Perez who is running the hards.
The risk of rain for this afternoon’s race is apparently 0%. Never quite that simple for British weather.
Charles LeClerc starts fourth in his Ferrari and will he hoping to get a shock podium this afternoon.
The Scuderia are marking a special occasion this afternoon, as it was 70 years ago at the British Grand Prix they won their first ever race.
It would take some race for them to win what would be their 239th Grand Prix this afternoon.
There were two races at Silverstone last year but the British GP in particular was dramatic.
Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz suffered late punctures before leader Lewis Hamilton also had one on the final lap.
The Brit dragged his Mercedes around the track to win the race from the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and Charles LeClerc’s Ferrari.
The drivers are heading back to the cars and we have just under 15 minutes to go until the start of the race.
Again some drivers take a knee as part of the ‘We Race As One’ message that has been agreed upon this season.
The crowd then gives a round of applause to all the frontline heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The British anthem is next.
Don’t forget the big change for today is that due to the change in format this weekend, all drivers can start on the tyres of their own choice. The top-ten don’t have to start on the tyres they qualified for.
The race is to take place over 52 laps today, after yesterday’s sprint went over just 17 laps.
We are just under half an hour to go before the start of the British Grand Prix and the drivers have started arriving to the grid.
Lewis Hamilton is out of his car and shared a fist bump with Tom Cruise.
Fernando Alonso was very impressive yesterday but he’s had a moment on the way out to the track!
On cold tyres he goes for a spin at Woodcote, takes a bit of gravel and gets back on his way.
Better to do it now than in the race I guess!
Fans are very excited to be allowed back into the stands for the British Grand Prix as you can probably tell from this sign!
Should Lewis Hamilton win the British Grand Prix it will be his EIGHTH victory at Silverstone which is a staggering figure.
The record is currently held by the great Michael Schumacher’s eight wins in France and Hamilton holding the same tally at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
If there’s any track that Hamilton can find his winning form then it is Silverstone.
Our man at Silverstone is keen to see how Sergio Perez gets on today from the back.
He said: “Going to be really interesting to see how Sergio Perez gets on today. He was running 18th yesterday before Red Bull strategically retired the car so he starts from the pit lane.
“There’s a lot of traffic to get through but don’t rule him out making a few moves on a different strategy to pole sitter Max Verstappen.”
The 20 drivers have been taken around the track on the drivers’ parade to greet the fans.
Lando Norris and George Russell got off the truck to entertain the crowd and take a closer look.
Disappointing for Russell that he received a three-place penalty for his coming together with Carlos Sainz yesterday. Could this be the day though that he finally gets his first points for Williams?
Tom Cruise as mentioned earlier is over with Mercedes for the race while Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette and British tennis player Emma Raducanu have both taken hot laps in sports cars.
There’s a good debate to be had over whether there has been anymore impressive this season than McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The Brit has got three podiums to his name this season already and is fourth in the championship – even ahead of Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.
It’s been a tough week for Norris who was mugged at the Euro 2020 final last Sunday and has admitted to having some pain and being unable to sleep.
But he starts in a very promising fifth place today and will be one to watch this afternoon.
After the last year it’s so good to see fans back at sporting events and there is believed to be around 140,000 fans in attendance for the British Grand Prix.
It looks a beautiful day in Northamptonshire and hopefully those are in attendance are treated to a great race.
Just bumped into Harrison Ford, aka Indiana Jones, heading towards the Williams garage. There’s a star-studded cast filling up the paddock around us media members.
Tom Cruise is over at Mercedes, Aston Martin have Reggie Yates running their Instagram page and ‘Body Coach’
Joe Wicks is being hosted by McLaren. A real who’s who for the celeb spotters today.
If there was anyone who did not benefit from the new format it was Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
The Mexican lost places at the start from fifth and then span which sent him to the back of the pack.
He will now start from the pit-lane which is not what Red Bull need in the midst of a fierce battle with Mercedes for both championships.
Expect him to make a charge through the field though and he’ll be aiming for a strong points finish.
The British Grand Prix always attracts sports stars and celebrities and one man who made quite the entrance was Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who arrived via helicopter.
Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Stormzy are among others who are expected to be in attendance
The 2021 season is proving to be Lewis Hamilton’s greatest challenge so far as a Mercedes driver from another team.
Red Bull have momentum on their side with five successive victories and Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes desperately need a win to help turn the tide around.
Only Sebastian Vettel in the past decade has come back from 33 points or more behind to win the title, when he was 44 points behind Fernando Alonso in 2012.
A win for Verstappen with a fastest lap could see Hamilton drift 41 points off the contender to his title throne.
Max Verstappen extended his championship lead to 33 points with his victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Sprint race proved to be a success with some exciting on-track action but there was plenty to talk about off the track as well.
On an historic weekend at the British Grand Prix, Sportsmail’s NATHAN SALT listed some of the main talking points.
So firstly here is the grid for the British Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will be disappointed to start second behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but they will be encouraged that the Dutchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez starts in the pitlane after his spin during the Sprint race.
Valtteri Bottas starts third ahead of Charles LeClerc’s Ferrari, with the McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo on Row 3.
You might be wondering why George Russell starts 12th after finishing yesterday’s race in ninth. Well unfortunately he has taken a three-place penalty for making contact with Carlos Sainz on Lap 1 yesterday.
Good afternoon and welcome to Sportsmail’s coverage of the British Grand Prix!
Yesterday was history in the making as Max Verstappen won the first ever Sprint Race but today is the main event.
The Dutchman’s win means he starts on pole position ahead of title rival Lewis Hamilton who will hope to copy the Red Bull driver from yesterday and take the lead going into Turn 1.
Follow me live for all the build-up, lap-by-lap action and race result, with the Grand Prix getting underway at 3pm.
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