Alonso claims win on historic day
Monday 11th July 2011
Fernando Alonso celebrated a milestone in Ferrari's history at Silverstone on Sunday - and then created a little slice of his own by claiming the British Grand Prix.
Alonso was at his imperious best at the Northamptonshire track as he made the most of changeable conditions to claim the Scuderia's first victory of the season.
The win was Alonso's 27th in F1 - taking him joint fifth in the list of all-time winners, level with Sir Jackie Stewart - and came just hours after the Spaniard delighted the Silverstone crowd by taking to the track for two demonstration laps in one of the team's classic cars.
The Ferrari 375 was the first car to deliver Ferrari an F1 victory back in 1951, when Jose Froilan Gonzalez took the chequered flag in only the second race staged by Silverstone in the World Championship era.
Sixty years on, Alonso provided a fitting tribute to the achievement by delivering win number 216 and breathing much-needed life into a campaign that had hitherto delivered little cheer for the Prancing Horse's legion of fans.
"It is a very special win," said Alonso. "I think Silverstone is a special event for every driver competing in Formula One.
"Today [Sunday] I had the privilege to drive Jose Froilan Gonzalez's car. It was the first Ferrari win in Formula One and this year it is 60 years ago that one Ferrari car won the first grand prix in Formula One.
"Today [Sunday] we won on the same circuit with the same passion, with the same group of people, working for this fantastic team.
"It obviously means a lot for all the guys, the people working for Ferrari who are the sons or daughters of the guys that were here 60 years ago.
"They are working in the factory, with the same mentality, with the same passion for racing that is in Ferrari's DNA."
The win continued the upward curve that Ferrari have enjoyed since making a low-key start to the campaign.
Both Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa failed to secure a podium finish at the opening three races - a rarity for the sport's biggest name - but they have recovered well, with Alonso finishing second in Monaco and Valencia before finally mounting the top step today [Sunday].
"In spite of a difficult start to the year, [we] never give up," he added.
"We keep showing the Ferrari brand and the Italian flag on the rear wing everywhere we go, very proudly.
"The team has been improving a lot. It seems in the last three or four races every new part on the car is working fine, so they are steps forward for us and very good news, not just for this year but also for next year's development.
"Both Felipe and me feel much happier with the car."
A victory still appeared to be a tall order for Ferrari in the early laps of Sunday's race, however.
Starting the race on intermediate tyres as the result of a rain shower prior to the start, Alonso struggled to match the pace of the Red Bulls of pole-sitter Mark Webber and runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel.
Alonso nevertheless maintained his third place on the starting grid despite pressure from the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, but that all changed when both men stopped for dry tyres.
Hamilton immediately looked quicker and passed Alonso into Copse on lap 15, but by lap 24 Alonso was back on the pace, repassing the Briton before reeling in the Red Bulls.
After deposing Webber, Alonso took the lead on lap 28 when Vettel suffered a delayed pit stop and pulled away to win by 16.5 seconds.
The win moves Alonso up to third in the drivers' championship, 92 points behind Vettel, and he concedes more of the same is required if he is to have any chance delivering a third world championship.
"Every race we try to [treat] like a final," he said.
"Our championship hopes are very difficult because Sebastian keeps finishing all the races first and second, so the only thing we can do is try to win every race we go to and be very aggressive.
"Every race, every start, every strategy will be at the maximum."
Credit: ESPN STAR (www.espnstar.com)
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