Vettel battles through the pain to reign at Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton's early crash allowed championship leader Sebastian Vettel to extend his lead in the battle for the world title.

Vettel's second victory at the venue was his 51st overall, drawing him level with Alain Prost for third place on the all-time list.

Sebastian Vettel was delighted to overcome both a neck injury and Valtteri Bottas to end Lewis Hamilton's winning run at the British Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver extended his lead in the Formula One drivers' standings to eight points as he squeezed past Bottas in the final stages of an action-packed race at Silverstone.

Hamilton's hopes of triumphing on home soil for a fifth successive year were hampered by an opening-lap crash with Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari.

READ: Vettel wins thrilling British GP as Hamilton recovers to second

However, the Brit produced an impressive recovery after the early setback, battling back through the field to claim second place on the podium.

"Obviously the safety car spiced it up. I think I surprised Valtteri and I wasn't sure I'd make the corner but I did and it worked really well. I'm very, very happy," Vettel told Sky Sports, adding, "I enjoyed the race a lot and I think the people enjoyed it a lot. A great day."

 

Vettel's second victory at the venue was his 51st overall, drawing the German level with Alain Prost for third place on the all-time list.

His performance was even more impressive considering he was driving with a neck problem that cut short his involvement in Friday's practice session, while he wore strapping on the problem area for the race itself.

"Big thanks to the team for supporting me and also people in the background because yesterday I was a bit damaged. Today it was no problem. With all the adrenaline going it was fine. Probably I will feel it tonight but it doesn't matter, the tape held up," Vettel explained.