Lewis Hamilton recovered from a slow start to win the British Grand Prix for the third time in his career in wet conditions at Silverstone this afternoon, with teammate Nico Rosberg coming in second.

Mercedes started with both of their drivers on the front row, but Felipe Massa made the best start, leaping into the lead at the first corner, while Valtteri Bottas quickly moved into second.

Three cars were out by the end of the first lap as Lotus drivers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean collided, forcing Fernando Alonso to take evasive action, leaving him to nudge teammate Jenson Button into the gravel.

Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen struggled on the restart, losing control on cold tyres after a couple of laps behind the safety car, while Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz both had mechanical problems.

Hamilton regained the race lead after the first round of pit stops, but Rosberg came out a fraction behind the Williams duo, leaving him in fourth.

A shower with 15 laps remaining allowed Rosberg to get past Bottas, while Hamilton survived a wide exit at Copse corner in slippery conditions.

The rain got heavier with nine laps remaining, forcing Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel to come in for intermediate tyres, while the rest of the field pitted a lap later, allowing the Ferrari driver to jump up to third, claiming the final spot on the podium.

Alonso recovered from his first-lap collision to secure his first points of the season, while Will Stevens finished 13th at his home Grand Prix for Manor, despite damaging his front wing after running off the track late on.

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4. Felipe Massa (Williams)
5. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
6. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
9. Sergio Perez (Force India)
10. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
11. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
12. Roberto Merhi (Manor)
13. Will Stevens (Manor)

Retired: Jenson Button (McLaren), Romain Grosjean (Lotus), Pastor Maldonado (Lotus), Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso), Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull), Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)

Did not start: Felipe Nasr (Sauber)