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British F1 Grand Prix 2018 Results: Sebastian Vettel Wins Dramatic Race
July 8, 2018
Sebastian Vettel won a dramatic 2018 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday to extend his lead at the top of the drivers' world championship.
The Ferrari led for most of the race after getting the jump on pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton from the start but dropped behind Valtteri Bottas after his second pit stop.
He managed to get past the Mercedes with just four laps remaining to take the chequered flag ahead of Hamilton in second place, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen completing the podium.
Here's a look at the final classification:
It was a nightmare start for Hamilton, who saw Vettel and Bottas surge past him off the start. He was then tagged by Raikkonen at Turn 3, which saw him drop down to 17th.
Nate Saunders at ESPN showed his reaction:
Despite his fears, Hamilton showed no signs of damage to his car and rapidly began to make his way back up through the field. He was up to eighth after just eight laps.
Meanwhile, Raikkonen was handed a 10-point penalty for his role in the incident and was not too happy with his team, as shown by freelance journalist Chris Medland:
The penalty saw the Finn drop from fourth to 10th place and was more good news for Hamilton, who made it into third after the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo pitted.
Hamilton finally made his stop on Lap 25 and came back out in sixth behind Raikkonen in fifth, with Vettel leading from Bottas and the two Red Bulls.
The reigning champion was flying and went on to set the fastest lap of the race:
The safety car was then deployed for a big crash, which ended Marcus Ericsson's race. The Ferraris took the opportunity to pit again, sending Bottas into the lead. Vettel came back out in between the two Mercedes cars.
Meanwhile, Raikkonen and Verstappen were engaged in a fierce battle for track position. The Ferrari went past the Red Bull, only for Verstappen to respond and regain his place.
Another incident between Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz saw the safety car out on the track again, and when it came in, it led to plenty of action at the front.
Raikkonen finally went past Verstappen and managed to make it stick, while Vettel was pushing Bottas hard for first place with Hamilton lurking behind in third ready to take advantage of any mistakes.
A spin for Verstappen after clipping team-mate Ricciardo saw him drop drop to 14th and eventually ended his race, while Vettel finally managed to find a way past Bottas. He surged past the Mercedes going down the inside at Brooklands, and Hamilton quickly followed suit as he overtook his team-mate.
Bottas was struggling with his tyres, which also allowed Raikkonen go past in the closing stages as he ended up finishing fourth.
Hamilton could not close the gap to Vettel in the final laps and had to settle for second place, but he must feel relieved to have secured a spot on the podium after such a difficult start.
Vettel now moves eight points clear at the top of the drivers' standings as the teams head to Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix on July 22.