Fernando Alonso delivered Ferrari’s long-awaited first win of 2011 Sunday when he made the most of unpredictable conditions and rivals’ errors to triumph at a thrilling British Grand Prix. The 29-year-old Spaniard, winner of the British race for Renault in 2006, secured Ferrari’s first win since last year’s Korean Grand Prix with a controlled drive – and some luck – to exploit the controversial revised technical regulations.
“I knew we had enough pace to fight for the victory and it came to us. We stayed calm when we had to and we knew our opportunity would come later in the race,” said Alonso. “After passing (Lewis) Hamilton for the second time, I attacked the Red Bulls. From now on, it will be like that. All we will do is try to win every race, be aggressive and keep our strategy at the maximum.”
It was Alonso’s 27th career victory, drawing him alongside three-times champion Briton Jackie Stewart in the record books and a clear signal that the newly-revised technical rules, on the use of off-throttle exhaust fumes to improve rear grip, favoured Ferrari. His win came on an afternoon of drama that saw defending champion and runaway leader Sebastian Vettel’s race undone by a slow pit-stop. Vettel finished second ahead of his Red Bull team-mate and pole-sitter Mark Webber, with McLaren’s home favourite Lewis Hamilton fourth after a rousing race from 10th at the start.
Vettel was more than 16 seconds adrift of Alonso, but extended his title race lead to 204 points with Webber on 124 and Alonso, who is third on 112. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull now have 328 points ahead of McLaren on 218. Red Bull had to use team orders to stop Webber passing Vettel on the final lap.
Team chief Christian Horner said Webber respected that order. “It’s a team result. I can understand Mark’s frustrations, but we cannot give away a load of points,” said Horner. “We did not want to see our drivers in the fence at some time in the last two laps, which is how it would have ended up. Mark is not out of the championship race but we could not afford to risk losing points. “Mark should be fine with that, he is a team player. Second and third is a very strong result.” Webber did not agree entirely. “It was a mixed race,” said the Australian. “It was so slippery and tricky at the start with on a half-dry, half-wet track. And at the end, both Seb and I were in big trouble with our tyres. I tried to pass him, but not quite.
“Obviously, I was not fine with the team orders. Of course not. I ignored them as much as I could — and I was battling to the end.” Vettel admitted he was beaten cleanly and fairly by Alonso, despite Red Bull’s costly error at his second pit-stop. “I think it’s hard to say how much we lost. Sure we lost the lead as we had quite a bit of a cushion. It didn’t help. I came out behind Fernando and Lewis and I struggled to get past. “But, all in all, little mistakes here and there. You can’t it get right all the time.
I accept that Ferrari beat us fair and square. We have to keep working hard.” Hamilton banged wheels with Felipe Massa’s Ferrari at the final corner to keep finish fourth McLaren warned him he did not have enough fuel to race at full speed in the closing laps. “That was as close as it gets,” he said. His McLaren team-mate compatriot Jenson Button retired after he was released from his pit-stop without a front-right wheel nut. “So disappointing,” he said. “I was on for a possible podium.”
Massa finished fifth ahead of German Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes, Mexican Sergio Perez for Sauber and German Nick Heidfeld of Renault. Seven-times champion Michael Schumacher came home ninth for Mercedes after a race wrecked by a collision with Japanese Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber — and a harsh 10-seconds stop-go penalty — and Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari was 10th for Toro Rosso.
