Lewis Hamilton delighted his home crowd by completing a hat-trick of consecutive victories at the British Grand Prix.

Second was the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, but Rosberg – suffering late gear-box problems – received a ten second penalty over radio communication and dropped to third having finished in second place initially.

Hamilton, who started from pole in a race that began slowly behind the safety car because of heavy rain, has gradually eaten away at rival Rosberg’s lead in the drivers’ standings.

The Briton, the reigning world champion, has now made it four wins in the last five races.

The duo had a last-lap collision last weekend in Austria, before Hamilton claimed a controversial victory, further straining already frosty relations between the two.