Race Notes - Hamilton wins at Silverstone again

By Mark Karp

Lewis Hamilton led the British Grand Prix, at Silverstone, from flag-to-flag to win his fifth home Grand Prix in his Mercedes GP. Valtteri Bottas finishes in second, 14.0 seconds behind, in a Mercedes 1-2. Kimi Raikkonen finishes in third in his Ferrari, 36.5 seconds behind the winner.

Closing lap left-front tyre punctures for both Ferrari‘‚  s hurt their results for the Italian team.

Hamilton‘‚  s win is his fourth-in-a-row at the British GP, and fifth career home win.

Hamilton has closed up the Drivers Championship, now only one point behind Vettel, Bottas 23 points behind in third place.

Max Verstappen (52.1s) in the Red Bull finished fourth, followed by his team mate Daniel Ricciardo (1m05.9s) in fifth, Nico Hulkenberg (1m08.1s) in the Renault in sixth, Sebastian Vettel (1m33.9s) in the Ferrari in seventh, Esteban Ocon (1 lap) in the Force India-Mercedes was eighth, his team mate Sergio Perez in ninth, and Felipe Massa in the Williams-Mercedes took the final points paying position in tenth place.

Before the start Hamilton sat on pole, with Raikkonen alongside on the front row. Vettel and Verstappen start on row two, Hulkennberg and Perez on row three, Ocon and Stoffel Vandoorne on row four, Bottas - with a five spot grid penalty for a gearbox change, and Romain Grosjean rounding out the top ten.

With threatening skies overhead and a 40% chance of rain, the teams are wondering if they will have to deal with wet weather during the race.

The top ten are running on super soft tyres, except Bottas on soft tyres. The rest of the grid on a mixture of soft and super soft tyres.

At 1pm local time the grid clears and the drivers head off on the formation lap at the home of British motorsport.

Jolyon Palmer has a problem with his hydraulics and pulls off before he gets to the grid. The start is aborted and the field comes around for a second formation lap.

The cars come around and the lights go out and the race begins with Hamilton taking the lead from Raikkonen. Vettel passes Verstappen, then he comes back and takes the positiion back. Hulkenberg passes Ocon for fifth. Carlos Sainz and Daniel Kvyat come together and Sainz is out - Kvyat goes to the pits.

The safety car is out while the track is cleared.

Pascal Wehrlein, involved in the Toro Rosso get-together, pits.

Hamilton leads Raikkonen, Verstappen, Vettel, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Bottas, Perez, Vandoorne and Massa in tenth place. Ricciardo runs 14th.

At the end of lap 4 the safety car comes in and the race resumes with Hamilton leading over Raikkonen, Verstappen and Vettel.

Ricciardo goes off at Woodcote, but rejoins and runs in 18th. The team ask ‘‚   is the car okay?‘‚  Å“, Ricciardo responds ‘‚   **** knows."

On lap 5 Grosjean passes Lance Stroll for 11th. Bottas passes Ocon for sixth place.

On lap 7 Bottas passes Hulkenberg for fifth place.

Vettel chases Verstappen in third place.

On lap 9 Kvyat is handed a drive-through penalty for his accident with Sainz.

At lap 10 Hamilton leads Raikkonen by 2.3 seconds, followed by Verstappen (7.8s), Vettel (8.9s), Bottas (11.6s), Hulkenberg (16.1s), Ocon (20.3s), Perez (21.5s), Vandoorne (23.6s) and Massa (25.2s) in tenth place.

On lap 12 Ricciardo passes Alonso for 13th place.

On lap 12 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m32.895s and leads by 3.4 seconds.

The next lap Hamilton goes faster at 1m32.504 seconds.

Vettel and Verstappen go side-by-side but the order ramains the same. Verstappen tells the team, ‘‚   he wants to play bumper cars.‘‚  Å“

Bottas closes on Vettel. Vettel tells the team, ‘‚   that was another move under braking."

Raikkonen reports some rain drops in turn 7.

On lap 19 Vettel pits from fourth, switching to soft tyres. He rejoins in sixth.

Hamilton sets another fast lap at 1m32.360s.

Ricciardo passes Massa for tenth.

On lap 20 Verstappen pits for soft tyres and comes out behind Vettel.

Mercedes tells Bottas that this is his chance, and to ‘‚   get the hammer down.‘‚  Å“

At lap 20 Hamilton leads Raikkonen by 7.8 seconds, followed by Bottas (20.7s), Hulkenberg (35.9s), Vettel (36.5s), Verstappen (39.1s), Perez (47.1s), Vandoorne (49.2s), Ricciardo (50.5s) and Massa (54.8s) in tenth.

Vettel sets fast lap at 1m32.227s.

Vettel passes Hulkenberg, yet to pit, for fourth place.

On lap 22 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m32.190s.

Ricciardo passes Vandoorne for eighth place.

On lap 24 Stoll pits for super soft tyres. Bottas sets fast lap at 1m32.166s.

Perez and Grosjean pit.

On lap 25 Raikkonen pits from second place, switching to soft tyres, Hulkenberg pits as well.

On the next lap Hamilton pits from the lead and switches to soft tyres, and rejoins just ahead of his team mate Bottas.

On lap 26 Raikkonen sets fast lap at 1m31.903s. Vandoorne pits from seventh and falls out of the top ten. Fernando Alonso passes Stroll for 16th place.

The next lap Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m31.529s.

Raikkonen reports to the team that, ‘‚   something in my left is loose.‘‚  Å“

Kvyat reports a suspension problem and pits.

Alonso questions if he has a left rear puncture.

At lap 30 Hamilton leads Bottas by 3.7 seconds, followed by Raikkonen (13.6s), Vettel (18.1s), Verstappen (25.6s), Ricciardo (46.0s), Hulkenberg (57.0s), Kevin Magnussen (63.2s), Ocon (64.3s) and Perez (65.2s) in tenth place.

Bottas, who has yet to pit, tyres apear to be blistered, but he is still turning competitive lap times.

On lap 33 Bottas pits from second place, switching to super soft tyres and rejoins in fourth. Ricciardo pits from sixth for super softs and rejoins in ninth place.

Alonso reports that he has a power problem, and retires the McLaren.

On lap 35 Bottas sets fast lap at 1m31.122s.

Ricciardo passes Perez, then Ocon for eighth, the next lap he passes Magnussen, yet to pit.

Bottas sets another fast lap at 1m31.059s.

Hamilton reports that his tyres are blistered.

On lap 38 Magnussen pits for the first time and switches to super soft tyres.

At lap 40 Hamilton continues to lead Raikkonen by 12.8 seconds, followed by Vettel (17.5s), Bottas (19.5s), Verstappen (29.6s), Hulkenberg (64.9s), Ricciardo (72.8s), Ocon (84.6s), Perez (85.9s) and Massa (87.4s) in tenth place.

Bottas gets alongside the outside of Vettel in third place, but Vettel holds the position. Bottas continues to press, and passes Vettel the next lap. Vettel tells the team that the

On lap 45 Grosjean pits for a second time for super soft tyres - after touching Ericsson and getting a puncture.

Bottas sets fast lap at 1m31.007s, and again on the next lap at 1m30.905s.

Renault reports to Hulkenber that he has a problem, as Ricciardo closes to a second

On lap 48 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m30.621s.

On lap 50 Raikkonen has a problem and his left front tyre fails. Bottas passes him for second place, and Raikkonen pits. Verstappen pits from fifth.

Ricciardo closes on Hulkenberg. Vettel has a left front puncture as well and slows and pits.

At the finish, Hamilton wins from Bottas, Raikkonen, Verstappen and Ricciardo.