Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton is in relaxed mood as he prepares for his first home Grand Prix at Silverstone

Stars including former England captain David Beckham and wife Victoria arrive for what promises to be an exciting race

The fans are hoping to see a first home victory since David Coulthard's triumph in 2000 when he drove for McLaren

And Hamilton's hopes are boosted when Ferrari's Felipe Massa stalls on the grid and is forced to start from the pit lane

The British driver then makes an excellent start, holding off Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to lead into the first corner

Massa meanwhile is scything through the field and climbs seven places to 15th by the end of the third lap

Hamilton and Raikkonen swap fastest laps as they start to pull away from third placed Fernando Alonso

But Hamilton makes a mistake during his first pit stop and Alonso takes the lead after stopping quicker than Raikkonen

Hamilton's McLaren appears to have a problem as he starts losing time on the leading two through the middle of the race

Raikkonen though is pushing on and re-takes the lead while Alonso is in the pits and stays out in front after his own stop

Despite his problems, Hamilton finishes third, well clear of BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in fourth and Massa in fifth

But it is Raikkonen who takes the chequered flag and his second consecutive race, 2.4 seconds ahead of Alonso

Raikkonen is now 18 points adrift of Hamilton at the top of the drivers standings while Alonso closes the gap to 12

For Hamilton it is a day of what might have been but he retains his record of a podium finish in each of his nine races