Hamilton Wins British GP With Verstappen Crash After 1st Lap

Lewis Hamilton revived his Formula One title defence by winning the British Grand Prix after a first-lap crash that left championship leader Max Verstappen complaining he had been "taken out". 

Hamilton retorted after the race that he would "not be bullied". 

Roared on by a crowd of more than 140 000, Hamilton attempted to overtake championship leader Verstappen on Copse corner on the first lap. 

Verstappen refused to yield. The two touched wheels and the Red Bull went careening off the track and into the barrier. Hamilton drove on with just a broken wheel rim.

"Glad I'm ok," tweeted Verstappen from hospital. "Very disappointed with being taken out like this."

His boss Cristian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, had already laid into Hamilton.

"I hope Lewis is very happy with himself," said Horner. "That's a hollow victory."

"Copse is one of the fastest corners in the world. You don't stick a wheel up the inside. That's just dirty driving." 

Hamilton said after the race that he had felt "a lot of anger after the shunt" and blamed Verstappen.

"I don't feel he needs to be aggressive as he is," he said. "I would never back down from anyone. I will not be bullied into being less aggressive.

"We needed the points. He left a gap and I went for it."

Charles Leclerc grabbed the lead before racing was suspended while crews cleared away the Red Bull and Verstappen was taken to hospital for tests.

It was "a pretty impressive impact," said Dr Ian Roberts, Formula One's medical rescue co-ordinator.

He said Verstappen was "a little winded to say the least" but added there were "no injuries apparent at the moment".

Stewards imposed a 10 second-penalty, the second lightest punishment available to them, on Hamilton who was still able to chase down Leclerc.

"The penalty given does not help us and doesn't do justice to the dangerous move Lewis made on track," said Verstappen's tweet. "Watching the celebrations while still in hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behaviour but we move on."

Hamilton's win ended Red Bull's streak of five straight victories to cut Verstappen's lead in the championship to eight points.

Monegasque Leclerc was second, 3.81sec back to revive Ferrari's season. 

The second Mercedes, driven by Finn Valtteri Bottas, who had allowed Hamilton to pass after the penalty, was third, ahead of the McLarens of Briton Lando Norris and Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

It was a bad afternoon for Red Bull with Sergio Perez finishing 16th and outside the points to drop from third to fifth in the standings.

BRITISH GRAND PRIX RESULTS

1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1hr 58 min 23.283 sec
2. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) at 3.871
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 11.125
4. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 28.573
5. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 42.624
6. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 43.454
7. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1:12.093
8. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:14.289
9. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 1:16.162
10. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:22.065
11. Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Honda) at 1:25.327
12. George Russell (GBR/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap
13. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1 lap
14. Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap
15. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) 1 lap
16. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull-Honda) 1 lap
17. Nikita Mazepin (RUS/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap
18. Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap

Fastest lap: Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull-Honda) 1:28.617 on 50th lap (average speed: 239.318 km/h)

Retired: Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull-Honda) 1st lap, Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 41st lap

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

DRIVERS

1. Max Verstappen (NED) 185 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 177
3. Lando Norris (GBR) 113
4. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) 108,

5. Sergio Perez (MEX) 104
6. Charles Leclerc (MON) 80
7. Carlos Sainz (ESP) 68
8. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) 50
9. Pierre Gasly (FRA) 39
10. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 30
11. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 26,

12. Lance Stroll (CAN) 18
13. Esteban Ocon (FRA) 14
14. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) 10
15. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 1
16. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA) 1
17. George Russell (GBR) 0
18. Mick Schumacher (GER) 0
19. Nicholas Latifi (CAN) 0,

20. Nikita Mazepin (RUS) 0

CONSTRUCTORS

1. Red Bull-Honda 289 pts
2. Mercedes 285
3. McLaren-Mercedes 163
4. Ferrari 148
5. AlphaTauri-Honda 49
6. Aston Martin-Mercedes 48
7. Alpine-Renault 40
8. Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 2
9. Williams 0, 10. Haas-Ferrari 0