Well that's that ladies and gentlemen. After a poor start, Hamilton prevailed and wins his third British Grand Prix. I've been Aaron Irwin, and a huge thanks for joining me as we saw the best response to Formula One's recent criticisms possible. Thanks for joining us, a report is on it's way so stay tuned to VAVEL.
A report will be following our coverage here, but we will hang about a little longer to catch all the fallout from this race. Mercdes boss Toto Wolff says if Williams had been more "brave" they could've done better.
That was just the race Formula One needed, what a way to respond to the 'boring' jibes!
Frankie Dettori on the podium with the interviews. "My clutch was good but poor grip" Hamilton said of his start.
After the start Williams had it's so depressing to see them not on the podium, but credit to Vettel for finishing third. Podium celebrations underway.
Hamilton's 38th career win, easing in on Ayrton Senna's 41 wins.
Nico Rosberg follows in second with Sebastian Vettel grabbing an opportunist third place. After the start we had you'd have though Williams will have gotten a podium, disappointing as Massa is fourth, Bottas fifth.
He won in 2008 in the pouring rain, he won in 2014 in the bone dry, now in 2015 he's won in a mix of both, Lewis Hamilton WINS THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX!
52/52. Hamilton is to win this race, he starts his final lap.
48/52. Five laps remaining, Stevens has had an off as he rejoins the track minus a front wing. stepped on the gas too early into Luffield and span off the track. Hamilton leads by 9.6 seconds as he looks to mark the 62nd anniversary of the first British F1 win by Mike Hawthorn at the French GP by winning here.
47/52. Alonso is 10th, first point for him if he can hold out. Rosberg the loser here, he was sublime in the dry, but the rain has lost him the race(?)
45/52. Williams stack their cars, Sebastian Vettel, who's been quiet all race, is now in THIRD place here! lap 43 was the important lap, Hamilton way out in front.
44/52. Everyone pitting for inters now, cars on dry tyres struggling for grip, Rosberg pits for inters, will he be out ahead of Lewis?
42/52. Rosberg is closing in on Hamilton here, the German is right behind the Brit and may usurp him here! 1.4 seconds taken out of his lead in the first sector alone! Hamilton isn't comfortable here. He pits for Intermediates! is this a masterstroke move?
41/52. Alonso sits 11th, could he get his first points of the season here? Meanwhile Kvyat is chasing down Vettel in fifth. The Red Bull man has done quicker laps in the last three.
40/52. Rosberg passes Massa for second, what seemed inevitable has now happened. Mercedes 1-2, Wlliams 3-4 here.
39/52. Raikkonen pits, he puts on intermediates and is this the first move made to wet weather tyres?
38/52. Seems to be raining heaviest at Luffield. Drivers will need to be careful here as they struggle around the lap. It'll be like driving on ice here, if they can creep back to the pits and get the right tyres they'll be fine.
36/52. Who's going to blink first here? Williams or Mercedes? Not raining hard enough for a change to intermediates yet, but could be imminent.
35/52. VSC is ending, we are back racing here. DRS re-enabled as the rain is starting to fall!!! cold tyres and rain will not mix too well, may see something interesting here.
34/52. Sainz's car is stopped right next to the track. Virtual safety car is out, and we may see the real thing out shortly if the Toro Rosso isn't moved quickly.
33/52. Sainz slowing at Club, looks to be out here. Both Toro Rosso's now out.
32/52. Rosberg told by engineer Tony Ross to "give it everything!" In other words try and close on the Williams duo.
30/52. Grey skies covering Silverstone, race 10-15 minutes away, rain in Brackley nearby, could we have a repeat of 2008 here? where a sudden downpour caught many cars out. coincidentally Hamilton won that race.
29/52. Rain promised in 20 minutes, take it with a pinch of salt, as rain may not come until just after the chequered flag.
27/52. Hamilton leads, with Massa, Bottas, Rosberg, Raikkonen, Vettel, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Sainz and Perez completing the top ten. Six retirements, with Button, Grosjean, Maldonado, Verstappen and Ricciardo out while Nasr didn't start due to a gearbox problem.
25/52. Nearing half distance, Hamilton has broken Jackie Stewart's record of consecutive races led, a record which has stood for 32 years!
24/52. Williams drivers told to "race 'til the end" now. Too little too late? A double podium would be stunning for the Grove team, but would the chance of a win entice them more? last win came in 2012 at Spain.
23/52. Team orders may have hurt Williams here. But don't forget rain may be coming, which may shake things up. Ricciardo is out as his Red Bull has a terminal engine issue.
22/52. Hamilton leads as Bottas pits, almost loses out to Rosberg but overtakes round the outside of Arena. Have Williams lost this race now?
21/52. Massa and Rosberg pit, going side by side in the exit as Hamilton passes both! The undercut worked and now Hamilton is in prime position to overtake Bottas.
20/52. Hamilton comes out in fourth with a great 2.4 second stop. Can he undercut Williams and come out on top?
19/52. Rain 30 miles away, oh boy if it rains we're in for a treat. Hamilton due to pit this lap.
17/52. Bottas trying to force an error from Massa. But when you've started over 200 GP's, I doubt you'd be easily pressured.
16/52. Top four pulling away from the rest at an alarming rate. Rosberg likely to pit first and switch to a two stop strategy.
14/52. Massa wide at Luffield, Bottas not close enough to capitalise. Mercedes ready for a stop. Two stop strategy likely for whichever Merc it is. But neither come in, miscommunication?
13/52. Raikkonen pits, may attempt the undercut on Hulkenberg in fifth, who's starting to hold a queue.
12/52. Two seconds cover the top four here as Massa leads, from Bottas, then the Mercedes pair of Hamilton and Rosberg.
11/52. With Hamilton so close behind, there's a real danger that it could all end in tears for Williams. Ricciardo pits, as Massa is told Bottas may overtake using DRS down the Hangar Straight.
10/52. Bottas has a go at Massa into Stowe with the DRS. Could we see team orders not followed? Bottas appears faster driver here and is stuck behind Massa.
9/52. This race is exactly what Formula One needed! Bottas told NOT to race Massa, he'll be used to guard against Mercedes and let Massa pull away.
8/52. Hamilton sets the fastest lap with 1:29.2. Williams have confirmed they're letting their drivers race, no team orders, just what we want to hear!
6/52. Williams could secure a fairy tale win here, the Grove based team. But there's a long long way to go here.
5/52. Yellow flags in sector one.
4/52. Bottas passes Hamilton into Club and its Massa from Bottas, from Hamilton from Rosberg with Hulkenberg in fifth. Verstappen is out after having no temperature in his tyres he span out.
3/52. Button's rotten luck continues as he's in the garage already. Safety car in this lap. Can Massa hold off Hamilton?
2/52. Safety Car is out as Button, Grosjean and Maldonado are all out. Alonso is in the pits for a long time after a nose issue. Amazing start from Massa and Williams, like a rocket out the start.
Lap 1/52. WILLIAMS TAKE THE LEAD?! Massa leads after stunning start! Bottas passes into Abbey but Hamilton is back up to second. Button out already, what a shame!
Crowd are in good voice, Hamilton the centre of attention clearly.
FORMATION LAP: Off they go for the warm up lap.
It's probable most drivers will attempt a one-stop strategy. We may see drivers attempting the undercut but tactics could be vital today.
In fact Nasr won't start. Gearbox issue on the Brazilian's Sauber. Down to 19 and the race hasn't even started yet!
Felipe Nasr will be starting from the pit lane as he managed to get back to the pits for the start.
"It's a beautiful day" says Jenson Button, who starts this race from 18th in his underperforming McLaren Honda
National anthem time, sung by Alesha Dixon, should have had a Spice Girl backup!
On the point of stars, the Spice Girls are on the grid, cheering on Red Bull perhaps?
Stars as ever on the grid, Jockey Frankie Dettori among them. Not quite as glamorous as Monaco but Silverstone holds so much historical significance.
Cars on the grid, only 15 minutes left to race start, home fans will be hoping for a Hamilton win, but can Button and Stevens have good home races too? This could be Button's final British GP, can he possibly go out with a fond memory of Silverstone?
Felipe Nasr's car has stopped on track on the way to the grid at the end of the Hangar Straight, possible problem?
Silverstone has been home to both magical moments and controversial moments. From Johnny Herbert's stunning win in 1995 after such personal tragedy, to a track invader running down the Hangar Straight in 2003, are we in line for another magical British Grand Prix?
Today's race will suit the cars who are more fitted to speed, as Silverstone has two long straights and many fast sweeping corners. Cars such as Mercedes and Williams are more likely to be quick round here than some of the cars more suited for tracks with slow corners.
The sport’s governing body are claiming to have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to the rules regarding track extending and we could see plenty of penalties today. Could it be a potential shake up of the order? Would make things a lot more interesting.
The FIA are clamping down too on drivers who exceed track limits. Many drivers went wide at Copse and therefore were track extending. Daniel Ricciardo had one of his times chalked off in Q3 which was good enough for seventh, but instead he starts tenth.
Lewis Hamilton won last year’s race in spectacular fashion, if he can get the advantage into turn one, he could well see a second consecutive victory in Britain. Although Rosberg could seize the initiative just like he did in Austria last time out.
STANDINGS: And the Constructors: 1) Mercedes 328, 2) Ferrari 192, 3) Williams 129, 4) Red Bull 55, 5) Force India 31, 6) Lotus 29, 7) Sauber 21, 8) Toro Rosso 19, 9) McLaren 4, 10) Manor
STANDINGS: Here is what the Driver’s standings look like going into the British Grand Prix: 1) Hamilton 169, 2) Rosberg 159, 3) Vettel 120, 4) Raikkonen 72, 5) Bottas 67, 6) Massa 62, 7) Ricciardo 36, 8) Kvyat 19, 9) Hulkenberg 18, 10) Grosjean 17, 11) Nasr 16, 12) Perez 13, 13) Maldonado 12, 14) Verstapoen 10, 15) Sainz 9, 16) Ericsson 5, 17) Button 4, 18) Alonso, 19) Stevens, 20) Merhi
INTERVIEW: I spoke with two fellow VAVEL writers this weekend to get their opinions on all matters regarding the British Grand Prix. We chatted about Lewis Hamilton’s success, Jenson Button’s woes, as well as the magic that Silverstone still holds as well as potential claims that Formula One has become boring recently, catch it here!
The 2007 world champion said he thought it was “the windy conditions that seem to affect at least us (Ferrari) quite a lot.” However Ferrari’s pace could see them spring a surprise on Williams should they be bogged down at the start.
Considering Ferrari are seen as the second best team in F1, they were outperformed by Williams yesterday. Felipe Massa and Valterri Bottas were third and fourth respectively, but Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen had a rather strange excuse for their lack of pace at Silverstone.
TRACK GUIDE: Silverstone is a special track, it’s one of four circuits that F1 fans believe are the most historic. Monaco, Spa, Monza and Silverstone are seen as the crown jewels of Formula One. In preparation we created a track guide, which gives all the records and details of one of the most prestigious races in the sport.
Herbert was involved in a Formula 3000 crash in 1988 in which he suffered severe leg injuries and almost had his career ended. Seven years later he’s on the top step of the podium at his home grand prix.
Also many legendary drivers have been Brits, ten World Champions, Hawthorn, Hill, Clark, Surtees, Stewart, Hunt, Mansell, Hill, Hamilton and Button. But some heroes such as 1995 British Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert, are special for other reasons.
The British Grand Prix has seen some stunning moments, from 1955’s close finish between Moss and Fangio, 1987’s battle of the powerhouses in Mansell and Piquet, or the former’s consecutive wins in 1991 and 1992.
Slowest of all the teams using a 2015-spec car, as Manor are currently using the 2014 Marussia chassis. Boullier has said that the ”pain is real” and added that they “need to have more performance from the package of the car and the engine.”
McLaren are only better by Ferrari in terms of F1 success, but are languishing at the back of the grid with their power supplier Honda not having the best power unit. Bugs and glitches have contributed to most retirements the Woking based team have suffered, and team boss Eric Boullier has come out by saying McLaren are “pressuring” Honda.
With seven of the ten Formula One teams on the grid being based in the UK, all will be looking to produce a great performance, however one of Britain’s most successful sporting teams, never mind in just Formula One, are really going through a rough patch recently.
Initially struggling in Friday practice, Hamilton stepped up and found his way again, claiming his pole position was “special.” He also praised the fans, saying that he felt “more of a buzz” and that “it was great to have that support.”
For all you anoraks out there, the last time Aston Martin were in Formula One was in 1960, only two seasons were completed with little success. They’ve since turned to sportscar racing and became one of the most historic names in motorsport history.
The deal would see Mercedes supply engines for Red Bull, but Aston Martin would enter a technical relationship with the team, with their branding to appear on the cars.
The big news overnight was the possible deal over at Red Bull. The former world champions are supposedly closing in on a deal with Aston Martin and Mercedes for 2016.
BRITISH GRAND PRIX GRID: 1) Hamilton, 2) Rosberg, 3) Massa, 4) Bottas, 5) Raikkonen, 6) Vettel, 7) Kvyat, 8) Sainz, 9) Hulkenberg, 10) Ricciardo, 11) Perez, 12) Grosjean, 13) Verstappen, 14) Maldonado, 15) Ericsson, 16) Nasr, 17) Alonso, 18) Button, 19) Stevens, 20) Merhi
The third and final man celebrating his home race Will Stevens of Manor, managed to out-qualify team mate Roberto Merhi as he lines up 19th on the grid.
Fellow Brit Jenson Button had yet another afternoon of misery as his McLaren Honda could only do 18th fastest. The 35 year old has no luck at Silverstone, never making the podium in a 16 year career, with 4th place in 2004 and 2014 the best he could muster.
Home race man Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for Mercedes from team mate Nico Rosberg. The German was just over a tenth slower than Hamilton while Felipe Massa of Williams completes the top three.
Good afternoon! And welcome to VAVEL UK’s live feed of the British Grand Prix! I’m Aaron Irwin and I’ll be your guide as we watch the race at Silverstone unfold!