Alonso positive on Ferrari despite being pipped by Webber at British GP

Despite leading for much of the race, Fernando Alonso succumbed to the superior tire strategy of Mark Webber in the Red Bull to finish second at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Ferrari driver, who had secured his first pole position since the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix at a rainy Silverstone on Saturday, was powerless to prevent the Australian from passing him with four laps to go owing to his deteriorated soft tires.

The Asturian had opted to start the race on hard tires, forcing him to switch to softs during the final pitstop. But Red Bull’s strategy of starting on softs and finishing on the more suitable hard tires ultimately proved the better combination. Webber swiftly clawed back the struggling Alonso’s five-second advantage during the closing stages to claim his second victory of the season.

Sebastian Vettel finished in third spot in the other Red Bull, while Alonso’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was fourth, with Kimi Raikkonen fifth in the Lotus. The McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were a disappointing eighth and tenth, respectively.

Despite the final-hour disappointment, Alonso was upbeat about his team’s progress. “We are going in the right direction,” he said after the race. “We have been fighting for victory in the last few races and we are continuing to improve.”

Ferrari showed important improvements in performance over the weekend, especially in straight-line speed, with Massa’s good result providing further proof.

Alonso now leads the overall drivers’ championship with 129 points, 13 ahead of Webber in second place. Vettel lies third with 100 points and Hamilton is fourth on 92.