British GP – Race: Alonso, 1st victory of the season!

First surprise of this British Grand Prix, the rain that appeared just before the race to soak the track, forcing all the drivers to switch to intermediate tires at the start.

Sebastian Vettel gets the better of Mark Webber at the start to take the lead, while the two McLaren drivers make a strong start, gaining one and four places respectively. The two drivers find themselves wheel to wheel, and Lewis Hamilton gains the advantage over Jenson Button, who seems slower than the others, just like Felipe Massa. After the second lap, Heikki Kovalainen is immobilized in the pits, his car having gone into the paddock, and we later learn of his retirement. Lewis Hamilton makes a small mistake during braking without consequence.

The DRS system is activated in the sixth lap, despite the water still present, Sebastian Vettel continues to attack hard to create a small cushion of a lead, while various drivers continue to improve different sectors lap after lap. Fernando Alonso, for his part, is closing in quickly on Mark Webber, while Michael Schumacher loses time after damaging his front wing on the back of Kobayashi’s Sauber. But the German sets off again on soft tires, which allows him to significantly improve his lap times, prompting a pit stop from many other drivers. Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso also pit along with Lewis Hamilton, the soft tires seem to be the right choice, which Sebastian Vettel realizes as he makes the same choice followed by Felipe Massa. The fastest laps improve more and more with the switch to soft tires.

Beautiful exchange between Jenson Button and Felipe Massa that ends in favor of the Briton, while Michael Schumacher has to serve a stop-and-go penalty, which means a 10-second stop in the pits. Lewis Hamilton also sets the fastest lap in the race just before overtaking Fernando Alonso, with both McLaren drivers moving ahead of the two drivers who were in front of them.

Battle at the chronos level as well between the two Red Bull drivers who are leading the race. The two Team Lotus drivers, on the other hand, have dropped out. The fight between the two RB7s is cut short after two laps as the German driver sets the fastest laps on the track.

The rest of the pack is also well engaged with the battle between Jaime Alguersuari and Nick Heidfeld, while Pastor Maldonado and Kamui Kobayashi exchange places several times. The Japanese driver then receives a penalty for an incident that occurred in the pits, while Fernando Alonso also regains the advantage over Lewis Hamilton. The British driver makes his second pit stop followed by Paul di Resta, as Kamui Kobayashi is forced to retire with what seems to be an engine problem. Many pit stops occur as a yellow flag appears on the track after Paul di Resta makes a small mistake on Sebastien Buemi, damaging the Swiss driver’s car.

Big problem in the pits for the two Red Bull drivers who find themselves behind Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton after the second wave of pit stops. The reigning world champion attacks very hard and catches up with Lewis Hamilton quickly, but while the Red Bull driver stays behind the Briton, the two-time Spanish world champion attacks vigorously to widen the gap. After an aborted overtaking attempt, the reigning world champion goes directly to the pits for fresh tires, followed by Lewis Hamilton on the next lap.

And it’s Mark Webber who follows suit afterwards, while his teammate attacks very, very hard before overtaking Felipe Massa almost instantly. Jenson Button also goes into the pits but only covers a few meters upon exiting, falling victim to a problem during his tire change, as the right front wasn’t properly secured.

Fernando Alonso is also pushing hard to gain time on Sebastian Vettel, who seems to be managing his lead in the championship rather than attacking the Spaniard, who is more than ten seconds ahead of him. Mark Webber, on the other hand, is pushing hard against Lewis Hamilton, who is struggling with consumption issues that force him to slow down and let the Australian pass. The battle for seventh place is also intense between Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez, who have each made only two stops, with an advantage to the Mexican who is attacking the German strongly.

Mark Webber caught up with Sebastian Vettel in the final laps and Felipe Massa caught up with Lewis Hamilton.

Fernando Alonso ultimately takes the win ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, while Lewis Hamilton narrowly manages to stay ahead of Felipe Massa by less than 30 thousandths.

Great performances also from the two Mercedes drivers who finish in the points and from Nick Heidfeld in a weakened Lotus Renault GP this weekend.

The debate over the diffusers could still change the game before the German Grand Prix, the cards may be reshuffled there and everything will remain to be proven for everyone.

Result of the 2011 British Grand Prix: