Ferrari boss hails 'emotional' victory
Monday 11th July 2011
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo hailed Fernando Alonso's superb victory in Sunday's British Grand Prix as an "emotional" result for the famous Italian team.
Ferrari's first win of the season arrived on the day the marque paid tribute to the car that delivered their maiden F1 victory - also at Silverstone, 60 years ago.
Prior to the start of Sunday's race, Alonso took to the track for two demonstration laps in the very Ferrari 375 that powered Jose Froilan Gonzalez to victory at the Northamptonshire track on July 14, 1951.
Less than four hours later, Ferrari were celebrating win number 216 after Alonso put together a faultless drive to triumph by over 16 seconds from the Red Bull of championship leader Sebastian Vettel.
Di Montezemolo said: "Hearing the Italian national anthem being played at Silverstone, the same venue at which we won our first ever Formula One race, was something I found particularly emotional.
"This is Ferrari, a team that never stops fighting, never throws in the towel, at the top level for 60 years.
"I want to thank the whole team, both those at the track, who did a perfect job, and those at home, whom I'd asked to put in a huge effort, not just for us but also for our fans.
"Fernando was brilliant, driving an extraordinary race."
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.
The win moves Alonso up to third in the drivers' championship, 92 points behind Vettel - although that is a gap which team principal Stefano Domenicali concedes is too daunting to contemplate closing anytime soon.
"The engineers say that if you are quick at this track then you can be competitive at many of the tracks on which we have yet to race," said Domenicali. "I hope that's really the case.
"We don't want to do any calculations regarding the championship. We must tackle each race as it comes with this same approach, without let-up."
After qualifying in a strong third place, Alonso enjoyed a good battle with the Red Bulls of Vettel and Mark Webber, and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, before finally hitting the front just after half-distance.
A problem with the rear jack cost Vettel vital seconds during a routine pit stop, allowing Alonso through into the lead, although once there the Spaniard emphatically thrust home his advantage to win by a clear margin.
"We head for Germany with our morale up and with more self confidence," Alonso said after moving level with three-time champion Sir Jackie Stewart on 27 career wins.
"The Red Bull is still the strongest car, but the improvements we are introducing are working. When we were struggling at the start of the season, we did not get downhearted, but instead we reacted: now we have reaped the rewards."
Credit: ESPN STAR (www.espnstar.com)
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