'Oh my god': Lewis Hamilton makes history in 'crazy' F1 drama

Lewis Hamilton has survived a last-lap tyre puncture to win the British Grand Prix for an unprecdented seventh time.

Hamilton appeared on course to cruise to victory on Sunday but limped over the line, virtually on three wheels, following the late drama at Silverstone.

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen crossed the line just five seconds back, having started the last lap 31 seconds behind Hamilton.

Valtteri Bottas had looked set to take second spot, but also suffered a puncture with two laps to run, dropping him to 11th.

Verstappen stopped for new tyres following Bottas’ puncture. Had he not pitted, he would have been close enough to take the win off Hamilton.

“Going for that fastest lap has cost Red Bull the victory,” Martin Brundle said in commentary for Sky Sports.

David Croft added: “What were the state of Max Verstappen’s tyres? Did he need to come in?

“If he had to come in, you saw what happened to Hamilton, to Bottas, to Sainz as well, that they had to make that call.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third ahead of Renault's Daniel Ricciardo with Lando Norris fifth.

The safety car was deployed on two occasions at Silverstone following high-speed shunts involving Kevin Magnussen, and then Daniil Kvyat.

But Hamilton kept his cool at both restarts, leading from start to finish, despite the puncture, to move 30 points clear of Bottas in his seemingly inevitable march towards a record-equalling seventh world crown.

“Up until that last lap, everything was smooth sailing,” Hamilton said.

“When I heard Valtteri's tyre went I looked at mine and everything seemed fine.

“The car was still turning, and the last laps I started to back off and then the tyre deflated.

“It was definitely heart in the mouth. You could see the tyre was falling off the rim.

“Oh my God, I was just praying to get it round. I nearly didn't do it, but thank God we did.

“I had never experienced anything like that on the last lap. My heart almost stopped.”

Lewis Hamilton extends record at home Grand Prix

Hamilton recovered from a rare spin in qualifying to take pole with the fastest lap ever recorded at Silverstone, and after beating Bottas to the opening bend, his victory did not appear in doubt until the late drama.

Bottas got a better getaway than Hamilton, but after failing to draw alongside his teammate before the first corner, he backed out of a lunge for the lead.

Alexander Albon compounded a poor weekend by banging wheels with Magnussen on the opening lap, sending the Haas driver into the gravel.

The safety car was deployed and Albon was dealt a five-second penalty from the stewards.

He would cross the line in eighth, with pressure mounting on the under-performing London-born Thai.

After Magnussen's damaged machine was cleared away, the race restarted on lap six, but Bottas failed to put Hamilton under any pressure.

Just seven laps later, the safety car was deployed again after Kvyat lost control of his AlphaTauri.

The Russian thudded into the barriers but despite sustaining serious damage to his car walked away unscathed from the incident.

“I am so f****** sorry,” he said over the radio before shoving a camera out of his way as he returned to the pits.

The second safety car period saw the drivers stop for fresh rubber, and once Kvyat's wreckage was cleared, Bottas again did not do enough to put Hamilton under any pressure on the restart.

with AAP