Here comes the safety car. Lewis Hamilton couldn't see a thing in the Ferrari and the seven-time world champion was passed by Pierre Gasly's Alpine and the Haas of Esteban Ocon around Turn Six and is now in eighth place.

Charles Leclerc is having an even worse race. The Monegasque driver catches a pool of water and goes straight across the grass at Turn 12. Leclerc is way down the order in P14 after starting on the slicks.

Jennie Gow
F1 pit-lane reporter at Silverstone

There is wind and rain [in the pit lane] and I cannot tell you how strongly it is going down. It is blowing an absolute hoolie from a summer's day to winter.

"We expect at least 10 minutes of rain"

The front left tyre was not willing to move off Lando Norris' car, causing the Briton to be stationary longer than Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri is pulling away from his rivals now and is 13 seconds clear of the Red Bull.

The rain is falling hard and visibility is becoming a problem. Driver are flagging this on the radio and it might bring out a full safety car.

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra at Silverstone

As we're watching Oscar Piastri pitting. this is going to be very interesting. McLaren are going to have to sacrifice staying out and the gap. Slow pit stop for Lando.

That stop didn't work for McLaren, it was longer than Red Bull's, and now Lando Norris has come out behind Max Verstappen! Oscar Piastri is leading the race and Alex Albon takes over in second place. Williams make the phone call to Albon to come in, so now we're back to Piastri, Verstappen, Norris as the top three.

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The slick runners are heading into the pits to switch to the green rubber, George Russell and Charles Leclerc among them. The call comes in to Oscar Piastri to box, just as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen are battling.

Those inters aren't offering Verstappen any grip and he twitches, allowing Norris to pass for second place! And now the pair come in for a pit stop.

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"If it really starts to hit hard, we need to box.

"I have really bad inters."

Charles Leclerc gets the move done on rookie Kimi Antonelli, so Mercedes think this is the perfect time to bring the Italian in for intermediate tyres, given the rain is on the way, like right now...

Image source, Getty Images

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra at Silverstone

There's no hesitation, we watched Oscar passing under DRS, Max Verstappen and he's pulled out an enormous amount of track between them. I like the way he's put pressure on Verstappen.

Jeremiah: The slicks are behaving like banana peels! Of the top 4, Piastri looks like the most comfortable while chasing Verstappen. Norris struggling and in the process slowing down Hamilton. May be a matter of laps before Lewis can fly past Norris.

The Mercedes have tumbled down the order with George Russell in in 13th and Kimi Antonelli in 14th - both on hard tyres. Charles Leclerc also switched to the slicks after the formation lap and the Ferrari man is trying to force rookie Antonelli into a mistake.

Jennie Gow
F1 pit-lane reporter at Silverstone

VSC conditions, Lance Stroll has chosen to come in to pit, he's gone on to the slick tyres, the red soft tyres - that's a gamble isn't it?

Those dark and ominous clouds are coming, in 10 minutes it will start gently then come in much more heavily.

Oscar Piastri is hunting Max Verstappen at the high speed Maggots-Becketts-Chapel section but the Red Bull man defends impressively. It doesn't take long for the McLaren to attack, however, and with DRS a few corners later, the Australian takes the lead of this British Grand Prix into Stowe.

Time to put your foot down again. Oscar Piastri is hustling Max Verstappen at Stowe but the Dutchman is finding the lines he needs to stay ahead of the McLaren. Lando Norris is further down the road to the front two and is staying in his own lane in P3.

There are a few slick runners still on track but it now looks like we've lost Gabriel Bortoleto from this race too. Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, is right in the mix in the Alpine. The Frenchman has climbed up to fifth place behind Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari. The Frenchman has overtaken Fernando Alonso on his way near the front of the field.

"Ok, Gabi, are you ok?"

"Yeah man, sorry"

"It's OK, no worries. It was very tricky out there"

Damon Hill
1996 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra at Silverstone

This is the problem now for the guys on the inters. You've got 10 laps before it starts to rain, these tyres are not going to last on the dry track. You've got the guys on the slicks that are getting into the grove.

"Rain expected in 10 laps"

Yellow flagpublished at 15:14 British Summer Time

15:14 BST

Lap 5/52

Ferrari were on the team radio to say the rain is arriving soon. Get your brollies ready. Max Veratappen is leading this British Grand Prix from Oscar Piastri but now the yellow flags are out again as Gabriel Bortoleto is struggling to get back to the pits in his damaged Sauber.

Verstappen is skating in the Red Bull, trying to keep the McLaren at bay. And now we have another virtual safety car.

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