Britain 2008: Hamilton wins British Grand Prix

A MESMERISING drive in the wet at Silverstone saw Lewis Hamilton cruise to a stunning British Grand Prix victory, to the delight of the 90,000-strong crowd.The McLaren driver drove a masterful race, in changeable conditions, with his team making all the right tactical decisions, as Ferrari had a day they would rather forget.

The win means Hamilton's World Chamiponship hopes are now back on track, and sees him in a three-way tie at the top of the drivers' championship with Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikonnen and Felipe Massa.

Nick Heidfeld took second for BMW, with Brackley-based Honda celebrating an excellent third place for Rubens Barrichello. Honda's Jenson Button - one of many drivers who spun off the slippery track - had to retire, but Barrichello used all his experience to drive well in the wet as Honda got their tyre choices spot on. Barrichello would have taken second place if not for a late problem with the refuelling rig.

Hamilton's victory in the rain saw him give a masterclass in skillful driving, making up two places at the first corner from his start at fourth on the grid and taking the lead from team-mate Heiki Kovaleinen on the fifth lap.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikonnen began to challenge, but when the pair came in for their first pit stop on lap 21, McLaren made the crucial decision to replace Hamilton's intermediate wet-weather tyres, while Ferrari deciding wrongly that the weather would remain dry, left Rakonnen's used ones on. The rain came down shortly afterwards and Raikkonen could not get the grip he needed.

Hamilton still had a huge job to do, but drove the best race of his Formula One career, keeping his head in extremely tough conditions, and finishing over a minute ahead of Heidfeld.

Massa had his worst race of the season, spinning five times on his way to a position as last of the finishers.

British Grand Prix Results
1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber +68.5 secs
3 Rubens Barrichello Honda +82.2 secs
4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari +1 Lap
5 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +1 Lap
6 Fernando Alonso Renault +1 Lap
7 Jarno Trulli Toyota +1 Lap 14 2
8 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota +1 Lap
9 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota +1 Lap
10 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +1 Lap
11 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari +1 Lap
12 Timo Glock Toyota +1 Lap
13 Felipe Massa Ferrari +2 Lap
Ret Robert Kubica BMW Sauber +21 Laps
Ret Jenson Button Honda +22 Laps
Ret Nelsinho Piquet Renault +25 Laps
Ret Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Ferrari +34 Laps
Ret Adrian Sutil Force India-Ferrari +50 Laps
Ret Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari + secs
Ret David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault + secs