The start of Sunday's British Grand Prix has been criticised by drivers, who believe the safety car stayed out longer than necessary.

After a sudden downpour minutes before the start of the race, the decision was made to abandon the traditional start, with the field instead following the safety car for the first five laps of the race.

Max Verstappen, who finished the race third on the road but was later promoted to second said that he was  "ready to race after maybe two laps."

Race winner Lewis Hamilton agreed, saying that the safety car stayed out too long, and even suggested that the race could have started as normal on the grid.

"For sure there were patches (of water) all over the place and it would have been tricky -- but that's what motor racing's about," he said. "For sure we did stay out (behind the safety car) for far too long."

Despite the criticisms, there were some people in the paddock who believed the safety car start was the right call, including Hamilton's team mate Nico Rosberg.

"Yes, for sure," he said. "There were some big, big rivers in places so it's important to let us have a look at least where they are before getting going."

Red Bull boss Christian Horner echoed Rosberg's sentiments, but also said that the safety car stayed out for too long.

"The decision to start behind the safety car was fully justified because of the standing water," he said. "But in my view, the safety car stayed on the track for too long."

Toro Ross driver Carlos Sainz shared a similar viewpoint: "The safety car was necessary at the start because we could see nothing, but after the first two laps, once we saw the condition of the track, it was no longer necessary."