Dominant Alonso victorious at Silverstone
Fernando Alonso dominated the British Grand Prix to win for the third consecutive race and move one step closer to retaining his world championship.
The Renault driver led from pole position and was never in any real danger at a sunny Silverstone, where more than 80,000 fans saw home hopes disappear with Jenson Button’s early retirement.
Alonso cruised to the chequered flag to win by 13.9 seconds from Michael Schumacher, who battled all afternoon with Kimi Raikkonen for second spot.
Schumacher took second in the pits late in the race but slips 23 points off Alonso in the championship. Raikkonen’s resistance counted for little and he was left in third place for this third podium of a disappointing season for McLaren.
Giancarlo Fisichella added to Renault’s total with a fourth place which helps the reigning world champions stretch their advantage over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship to 31 points.
Fisichella overhauled the other Ferrari of Felipe Massa, relegating the Brazilian to fifth place while Juan Pablo Montoya was well short of team-mate Raikkonen’s pace in finishing sixth.
BMW-Sauber got two cars in the points with Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve seventh and eighth respectively but David Coulthard was unable to add to Red Bull’s tally and finished a distant 12th.
Coulthard was the only Briton to finish after Button’s race ended on lap 10 with flames pluming from his Honda engine.
Button had made a strong start from 19th on the grid, although the best getaway was reserved for Alonso, who set the tone by striding clear of the opposition.
He led Raikkonen into turn one but a pile-up behind him brought out the safety car before the lap was over after Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Scott Speed tapped Ralf Schumacher into a spin.
The Toyota driver quickly regained control but veered back across the track, collecting Williams’ Mark Webber and eliminating both cars instantly.
Once again Alonso was in control when the racing resumed as behind him Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher fought a wheel-to-wheel battle for second spot.
Raikkonen held sway and managed to stay clear of his Ferrari rival at the first round of pit stops, with Alonso’s lead never looking threatened.
Button never even made the first pit stops after his race ended in the gravel on lap 10 with flames licking around his Honda engine.
By half distance Alonso was able to control the pace of the race and he allowed himself the luxury of easing off slightly with a comfortable cushion of over 10 seconds over Raikkonen.
The Finn had his hands full fighting off the attentions of Schumacher in third and the gap between the pair hovered around the one second mark as they fought through the backmarkers.
Alonso comfortably retained his lead at the final set of pit stops but the interest was focused on the battle for second, which saw Schumacher squeeze ahead of Raikkonen on lap 42.
From then on little changed as Raikkonen’s pace dropped to leave Schumacher in a clear second, but well adrift of Alonso, who stayed clear of trouble to win with ease.
Final Race Positions:
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1hr 25mins 51.927secs,
2 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:26:04.936,
3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 1:26:09.933,
4 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:26:10.936,
5 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:26:22.932,
6 Juan Montoya (Col) McLaren 1:26:55.934,
7 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:27:02.932,
8 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:27:09.929,
9 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:27:10.927,
10 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Honda at 1 Lap,
11 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota at 1 Lap,
12 David Coulthard (Gbr) Red Bull at 1 Lap,
13 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Scuderia Toro Rosso at 1 Lap,
14 Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull at 1 Lap,
15 Christijan Albers (Ned) at 1 Lap,
16 Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland at 2 Laps,
17 Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri at 3 Laps,
18 Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri at 3 Laps
Not Classified:
Jenson Button (Gbr) 10 Laps Completed,
Scott Speed (USA) Scuderia Toro Rosso 2 Laps Completed,
Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota Completed 0 Laps,
Mark Webber (Aus) Williams Completed 0 Laps
Fastest Lap: Fernando Alonso (Spa) 1mins 21.599secs 21st Lap
