Spain’s Fernando Alonso won the British Grand Prix yesterday for Ferrari’s first victory of the season on the 60th anniversary of their first success in Formula One.
The win, gifted to him by Red Bull after world champion Sebastian Vettel was slowed by a wheelnut problem at his second pit stop, was the 27th of Alonso’s career and it lifted him level with the great Jackie Stewart in fifth position in the all-time list.
Australian Mark Webber, who had started on pole position, finished third for Red Bull after trying to pass his teammate on the penultimate lap and then being told to maintain his position.
“I had two laps today with that [1951] car before the parade,” said Alonso of Argentine Jose Froilan Gonzalez’s historic Ferrari. “Now, 60 years later in the same circuit, with the same atmosphere and the same passion, winning again. I’m very proud ... it made a special day.”
Vettel had hoped to chalk up a seventh win in nine races, but still extended his overall lead over Webber, last year’s winner at Silverstone who has yet to lead a lap this season, to 80 points from a previous 77.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton entertained the fans by roaring from 10th on the grid to fourth and banging bodywork in a furious battle with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa — who was forced wide — at the final corner.
Alonso took the lead on the 28th of the 52 laps when he pitted right behind Vettel, who had grabbed the lead off the grid. As the German’s crew battled with the wheelgun, the Spaniard slipped past and was gone.
“It’s hard to say how much we lost, but surely we lost the lead. I think we had quite a cushion at that stage,” said Vettel, who has still dropped only 21 points out of a possible 225, of the pitstop drama. “I think you have to accept fair and square that Ferrari beat us today ... I think it shows us that we have to keep working and pushing very hard.”
McLaren’s Jenson Button’s home-race jinx continued with the 31-year-old’s hopes also wrecked by a wheelgun when he was waved away before the right front nut had been secured 12 laps from the end.
With the wheel wobbling wildly, he parked up at the pit lane exit and walked back to the garages without speaking to reporters.
The Briton has never stood on the Formula One podium at Silverstone in 12 attempts.
Tainan TSG Hawks slugger Steven Moya, who is leading the CPBL in home runs, has withdrawn from this weekend’s All-Star Game after the unexpected death of his wife. Moya’s wife began feeling severely unwell aboard a plane that landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening. She was rushed to a hospital, but passed away, the Hawks said in a statement yesterday. The franchise is assisting Moya with funeral arrangements and hopes fans who were looking forward to seeing him at the All-Star Game can understand his decision to withdraw. According to Landseed Medical Clinic, whose staff attempted to save Moya’s wife,
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt yesterday backed Nick Champion de Crespigny to be the team’s “roving scavenger” after handing him a shock debut in the opening Test against the British and Irish Lions Test in Brisbane. Hard man Champion de Crespigny, who spent three seasons at French side Castres before moving to the Western Force this year, is to get his chance tomorrow with first-choice blindside flanker Rob Valetini not fully fit. His elevation is an eye-opener, preferred to Tom Hooper, but Schmidt said he had no doubt about his abilities. “I keep an eye on the Top 14 having coached there many years
Ukrainian coal miner Andrii’s face lit up when he talked about meeting Oleksandr Usyk. “Wow,” the 36-year-old said in English. Andrii and more than a dozen other war veterans were on hand when Usyk beat Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. It was a rematch of their 2023 bout that Andrii viewed under vastly different circumstances. “I watched this fight on the front line on my phone,” he said through an interpreter during a stop on Friday at the Ukrainian Embassy in London. “We were watching very quietly, but when he won there was loud
Saudi Arabia yesterday were drawn to take on Iraq and Indonesia in the fourth phase of Asia’s preliminaries for next year’s FIFA World Cup, with back-to-back Asian Cup winners Qatar to face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. The winners of each of the three-team groups, which are to be played in October, would join already-qualified Australia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran and Jordan at next year’s expanded 48-nation finals in the US, Canada and Mexico. Saudi Arabia, who are attempting to qualify for a seventh World Cup finals since 1994, are to host Group A and open against Indonesia on
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