It's lights out, and away we go. Hamilton, I think, got a better start, but Bottas is just ahead at the moment. Covers off his teammate Leclerc in third from Verstappen, and then Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly. Lando Norris looks to be making a decent start. He's level with Daniel Ricciardo already. Into Village we go. Bottas ahead of Hamilton, who's escaped trouble this time around, unlike last year. Leclerc is ahead of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Then comes Sebastian Vettel in fifth.
Somehow they all appear to be pointing in the right direction at the moment, side by side as they were through the first few turns. But Bottas has the lead. Hamilton wants it straight away. But as you say, at least he's still in the race, unlike last year when he was turned around in the second corner.
Hamilton thought for one moment of diving round the outside of Brooklands, but he couldn't get through there. We're on to the old start, Freddie Strade, and blasting towards Copse. Valtteri Bottas leads Lewis Hamilton. Further back, Ricciardo and Norris going wheel to wheel through Copse. Norris, can he come out ahead? Just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, but they're still battling onwards towards Maggots. Two into one doesn't go. Norris just ahead of Ricciardo.
This is brilliant, brilliant stuff. The two Silver Arrows racing in the opening laps here, and Hamilton is just inches away from his teammate as they make the turn left-handed through the loop and onto Aintree, and now the Wellington Straight. And this time, Hamilton is that much closer to Valtteri Bottas. But this time, they're going to have to go wheel-to-wheel through Brooklyn, and somehow Bottas is staying ahead, but he's gone a bit too deep. And Hamilton through Luffield!
Can he take the lead of the British Grand Prix? They're ready to celebrate. Now they can start, because Lewis Hamilton, the man they've come to cheer, leads the British Grand Prix. Bottas, though, is going to come back at it through cops. Bottas retakes the lead. Wow!
There's a terrific scrap here between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen behind it. And there goes Max Verstappen, diving down the inside, has to switch now to go round the outside. The wheel-to-wheel again, unlike in Austria. This time, Verstappen has to come off second best. And he's conceded a bit of ground here, because Sebastian Vettel's right on his tail. Vettel goes down the inside of Bromlund. Somehow, Verstappen fends off the Ferrari. Gasly now might get in on the act as well.
As into the pits comes Charles Leclerc, and into the pits comes Max Verstappen. On go the medium compound time. That's a U-set. On go medium for Max Verstappen as well. And look, they're now wheel-to-wheel down the pit lane, but Verstappen has actually got about a metre advantage, and they have swapped round in the pits. It was all down to the work of the pit crew. Verstappen gets ahead of Leclerc.
Leclerc on medium compound tyres, and Verstappen too. And even better, they get out just ahead of Carlos Sainz. He's gone wide! Has all the good work become undone as Verstappen tries to fight back and then sees Charles Leclerc swoop past him. Now he pulls out to go alongside the Ferraris wheel-to-wheel. Down into Brooklyn's Leclerc is back out in front of Verstappen.
This is absolutely brilliant racing between two supremely, supremely talented drivers, and they are giving it everything here. Here comes Verstappen again. He's almost pushed onto the grass. Somehow Leclerc stayed ahead. And I think Verstappen had to back off a little bit there because he was almost on the grass on the inside at Stowe. This is getting serious.
The yellow flag is for Antonio Giovinazzi, who seems to have dropped it in the gravel on the exit of the Vale chicane. The full safety car as well. Full safety car. That's going to stack them back up. That will play into Hamilton's hands, will it not? Well, where is Lewis Hamilton? Hamilton surely coming into the pits. Yes, he is. He was negative. He wasn't going to beat Bottas under normal racing circumstances by only a second, but it's so much quicker to make a stop under a safety car. Even a sort of generally safe stop like that is surely going to give Hamilton the lead of this racecroft.
It will do. He can go to the end on those tyres, no problem at all. Lewis Hamilton leads from Bottas. Further back, Alex Albon and Lando Norris going for it. Down the inside at Abbey. Albon thought he had it, but he hasn't. Lando Norris has it covered. Bottas, Vettel, Gasly, Verstappen. Now down the inside goes Albon and Norris once again, waiting to pick up the scraps. It's Hülkenberg. Norris has the inside line through the loop.
And the Renault is now going wheel-to-wheel with Alex Albon as well. Hülkenberg trying to get past, but not on this occasion. And Hülkenberg might have lost out to his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo. Gasly fends off for Stappan. There goes Ricciardo down the inside of Hülkenberg. Here comes Pérez down the inside. And there might have been contact. Yes, Pérez has lost his front wing.
Verstappen wide again, he's now going to have to defend against Leclerc. He's been doing all the attacking on Leclerc, now he's defending. They do touch wheels as Charles Leclerc barges his way through, and Max Verstappen hangs out round the outside to try and regain the place, which he does. Behind them, Carlos Sainz is now getting involved as well. How many more laps of action can Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc give us? Hopefully, another 27.
Leclerc is definitely closer to Gasly on this particular lap. Can he stay close enough to make a move around the outside of Village? He's going to go for it! Michel Leclerc, that is absolutely epic! Absolutely beautiful. I say the word again, wow!
Verstappen's going for it on Sebastian Vettel. He pulls out late once again, and he's got the job done. Going into Stowe, where Valtteri Bottas has pulled off some great moves. Oh, no! Sebastian Vettel's got it to Max Verstappen. And under braking, he just couldn't slow down. And Vettel and Verstappen come together as Gasly and Leclerc go through. Verstappen had pulled off the move, he was ahead of the Ferrari.
And then he got rear-ended by Sebastian Vettel. And that has totally destroyed his race. What the ****? What was he doing? Lewis Hamilton, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 British Grand Prix wins. He does it. Fastest lap as well on the last lap.
All the crowd, thank you so much for all coming out. I appreciate you all to the team. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of this.
incredible British Grand Prix. It was a real treat for a record-breaking crowd. The future secured for Silverstone for at least five more years. The 70th British Grand Prix won in a record-breaking sixth time by Lewis Hamilton, championship leader and a champion performance and a champion Grand Prix.