Hamilton takes checkered flag at 2016 Formula 1 British Grand Prix

Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is looking to retain his title after the Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver secured pole position at this year's Formula 1 British Grand Prix in Silverstone. With it, Hamilton was able to secure victory in Silverstone for the fourth time. From start to finish, Hamilton kept the competition at bay. It was not smooth sailing however as strong downpour made the track slippery early.

The first five laps had the safety car out, with Hamilton nearly hitting the aforementioned vehicle at Copse. It quickly turned to a full blown-race in lap six, with most of the drivers hitting the pits for intermediates.

Even with the sun shining out in lap six, the quick change to intermediates proved to be a gamble as everyone had to contend with puddles and slides. Almost every driver went off the track at the first and last turns of Silverstone.

One of the highlights of the 2016 British Grand Prix was the heated battle between Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen and Mercedes-AMG Petronas' Nico Rosberg. The 18-year-old Belgian driver seized the opportunity to take 2^nd place in lap 16 after boldly overtaking Rosberg at Becketts.

Early on, Rosberg tried to regain his position but Verstappen kept edging him out, particularly in Stowe. But with overworked tires, Verstappen complained that he was struggling with his car's rear. Ultimately, Rosberg was able to bounce back to 2^nd place, leaving Verstappen to contend with a third place victory.

The results however were switched after Rosberg was slapped with a 10 second post-race penalty for an illegal team assistance about his gearbox problem. As a result, Rosberg ended the race in 3^rd while Verstappen was promoted to 2^nd place.

Down the grid, Verstappen's teammate Daniel Ricciardo was able to finish 4^th after overtaking Perez in lap 22. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen ended the race at 5^th. At 6^th and 7^th place were Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. Carlos Sainz finished the British GP in 8^th while Ferrari racing driver Sebastien Vettel ended in 9^th. Completing the top ten grid is Danill Kvyat.

Still in the lead of the 2016 Driver Standings is Nico Rosberg with 168 points while fellow teammate Lewis Hamilton is just behind him with 167 points. Keeping Ferrari alive in the driver standings is Kimi Raikkonen who was able to net 106 points on his 100^th race in Formula 1.

The next race will take place at in Hungary on July 24, 2016.