Alonso’s timely triumph

Great Britain analysis - Alonso’s timely triumph

                

Fernando Alonso had said that Ferrari needed to deliver at Silverstone if they were to retain any hope of 2011 titles - and deliver they did, in some style. Yes, their win owed something to a botched Red Bull pit stop for Sebastian Vettel, but there was no question over the 150° Italia’s pace, as victor Alonso and fifth-placed Felipe Massa clocked the fastest laps of the race.As the wheels (quite literally) came off McLaren’s challenge, it was left to the red and blue cars to fight it out at the front. It made for a thrilling spectacle, unless you were Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who had to watch Mark Webber push Vettel all the way in a scrap for second, despite team orders to retain position.

After a weekend of controversy surrounding the off-throttle diffuser rules, the Grand Prix was a welcome reminder of what Formula One is really about - flat-out racing of the highest order. We review a fascinating 52 laps, team-by-team…