Even the the threat of constant rain couldn't keep celebrity fans away as Silverstone hosted the British Grand Prix on Sunday.  

Persistent heavy rain fell at the Northamptonshire venue ahead of the British Grand Prix as reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen prepared to start on pole position, with title rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris close behind.

And stars including Melanie Chisholm, Holly and Gordon Ramsay, Jack Whitehall and his model partner Roxy Horner were in attendance as proceedings got underway. 

With an umbrella protecting her from torrential rain, Mel, 51, was in attendance after missing Spice Girls band-mate Melanie Brown's wedding in London the previous day. 

The singer opted for a smart check blazer as she made her way into the Paddock with a friend on Sunday. 

Mel was notably absent as Scary Spice exchanged vows with fiancé Rory McPhee at St Paul's Cathedral in front of a string of very A-list guests.

Her absence may well have been due to scheduling conflicts, as she was performing in Sweden, but the singer still paid tribute to the couple on social media. 

Admitting that she was 'gutted' not to be there, she made reference to the fact they would all see each other and meet up in the not too distant future. 

Fellow bandmate Geri Halliwell also failed to attend the wedding, but was at Silverstone on Sunday with her children to support husband Christian Horner, team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing. 

Among the attending celebrities, Holly Ramsay, 25, ensured she commanded attention in a daring cropped lace top that exposed her cleavage as she arrived alongside her partner, former Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty. 

In keeping with the occasion, she rounded off the look with a red and white leather racing jacket and zipped cargo pants. 

Meanwhile celebrity chef Gordon, 58, was accompanied by wife Tana as they made their way onto the circuit - the home of British Grand Prix since 1948. 

The couple were hand-in-hand and apparently nonplussed by the miserable weather while mingling with fellow spectators ahead of the spectacle.

Also in attendance, comedian Whitehall, 36, appeared to be in high spirits as he posed for photos alongside his glamorous girlfriend, who caught the eye in a pair of low-slung leather trousers. 

Elsewhere, former Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick greeted onlookers with a peace sign as he made his way onto the Paddock with wife Amy Jackson, 33. 

The British actor, 38, looked smart in a slim-fitting grey suit while walking arm-in-arm with Jackson on Sunday. 

The actress, who exchanged vows with Westwick last year, claimed her own share of the spotlight in a stylish, oversized leather jacket and heavily tinted sunglasses ahead of the race.

Elsewhere, Swedish star Rebecca Ferguson was seen making her way into Silverstone with a friend.

She was later seen with husband Rory St. Clair Gainer, actress Anya Taylor-Joy and her musician husband Malcolm McRae in the Ferrari garage.

Jeremy Clarkson also added to the venue's celebrity contingent, while British actors Tom Holland, Idris Elba and Damson Idris added an additional touch of Hollywood glamour to proceedings. 

Chaos unfolded in the opening laps of the British Grand Prix after five drivers were forced to retire and the safety car was deployed twice at Silverstone.

Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar and Kimi Antontelli were forced out of the rain-sodden race - a double wipeout for Racing Bulls.

The black clouds rolled over the circuit for the start of the showpiece and Lawson was the first to limp back to the garage on the opening lap, having collided with Esteban Ocon and been squeezed by Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda.

Colapinto, who was due to start from the pit lane, failed to even make it onto the track after stalling in the pit box, cutting his race short before it had even begun.

There would be more carnage after Hadjar was effectively blinded by the thick spray behind Kimi Antonelli and crashed right into the back of the Mercedes. That contact sent him spinning over the stones and into the barrier, leading to a safety car.

Antonelli soon became the fifth retiree, hamstrung by visible floor damage.

Max Verstappen span after the safety car came in, blaming Oscar Piastri for slowing down suddenly before losing grip and slumping back down to ninth in the pack.

The virtual safety car was summoned twice early on, initially after the collision between Lawson and Ocon and then for Bortoleto after he smashed his rear wing.

Drivers gambled on their tyres as they looked to get ahead of the predicted rainfall. Charles Leclerc and George Russell bombed into the pits at the end of the formation lap to bolt on hards, while Hadjar and Bortoleto emerged with mediums.

But the heavens opened again on lap 13, leading to more carnage. Piastri had hung on doggedly to Verstappen's rear wing and finally completed the overtake to move into the lead, while Lando Norris also outstripped the world champion after he ran wide.

Verstappen would return to move back into second after a slow pit stop for Norris.

The safety car was sent out a lap later after heavy rain drenched the track, reducing Piastri's cavernous lead at the front. Leclerc comically went off after catching a large pool of water and going straight across the grass at Turn 12, emerging unscathed.

He soon complained over the radio that he could not see after water entered his visor.

The drama continued in the 40th lap as Russell lost control in the slippery conditions and spun off the track, tumbling down the order to 14th place in yet another twist to a chaotic British Grand Prix. 

On Saturday, Lewis Hamilton was still dreaming of his first podium with Ferrari after qualifying fifth for his home British Grand Prix.

The seven-times world champion had looked like he could take his first pole position in nearly two years but ultimately fell short at Silverstone, a circuit where he was an unrivalled record of success.

He was fastest in the second phase, raising the crowd's expectations, but then lost time when it mattered in the top 10 shootout.

'The lap was pretty decent at the end and then I lost a bit of time in the last corner, which probably would have put me on the front row or at least third,' said the nine-times British GP winner with McLaren and Mercedes.

'We were right on the knife edge I think, other than that I squeezed everything I could out the car.'

Ferrari brought a floor upgrade to Austria last weekend and Hamilton, who won a sprint race in China but has otherwise not finished higher than fourth since joining from Mercedes in January, said he was feeling better in the car.

'This track is incredible, the crowd´s been amazing but we needed just a little bit more, like another tenth of performance in the car just to nudge us a little bit closer to the front guys,' he said.

'Of course, I´ll dream of it tonight and I´ll try and execute tomorrow. I think the weather's going to be interesting.' 

Teammate Charles Leclerc qualified sixth, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen pole position ahead of the McLarens of championship leader Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

'The pace was there for the front row but I eventually didn´t do the job when I needed to. I lost the car in the last two corners and lost a lot of lap time,' he said.