LEWIS HAMILTON completed a hat trick of home wins in the British Grand Prix on Sunday to move to within one point of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg — demoted from runner-up to third — in the world championship.

    The German was penalized 10 seconds by the Silverstone stewards for a breach of the rules governing radio communication over a gearbox issue.

    Red Bull’s talented Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, who had finished a fine third, inherited the runner-up spot behind Hamilton.

    The defending three-time champion reeled off his fourth win in five races to all but cancel out Rosberg’s lead in the drivers standings.

    In a reversal of the scenes at Spielberg following last Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, where Hamilton and Rosberg collided on the final lap, Rosberg rather than his teammate was booed by fans during the podium ceremony.

    Hamilton celebrated with a “crowd surfing” demonstration of joy.

    The jubilant 31-year-old said: “We’ve got the best fans here so thank you so much... I am not sure you can be as happy as I am.”

    Hamilton pulled 3.6 seconds clear by lap seven. By lap 25, Hamilton was surging again, 5.9 seconds clear of Verstappen, who was defending against a rampant Rosberg.(SD-Agencies)