Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo hailed Fernando Alonso's British GP success as an "emotional" result.
Di Montezemolo thanks team for Silverstone victory
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo hailed Fernando Alonso's superb British Grand Prix success as an "emotional" result.
Ferrari secure their first win of the season on the same day the marque paid tribute to the car that delivered their maiden F1 victory - also at Silverstone, 60 years ago.
Prior to the start of the race, Alonso had taken to the track for two demonstration laps in the same Ferrari 375 that powered Jose Froilan Gonzalez to victory at the Northamptonshire track on July 14, 1951.
And less than four hours later, Ferrari were celebrating win No. 216 after Alonso put together a faultless drive to finish over 16 seconds ahead of championship leader Sebastian Vettel.
Di Montezemolo said: "Hearing the Italian national anthem being played at Silverstone, the same venue at which we won our first ever Formula One race, was something I found particularly emotional.
"This is Ferrari, a team that never stops fighting, never throws in the towel, at the top level for 60 years.
"I want to thank the whole team, both those at the track, who did a perfect job, and those at home, whom I'd asked to put in a huge effort, not just for us but also for our fans.
Brilliant
"Fernando was brilliant, driving an extraordinary race."
The win continued the upward curve that Ferrari have enjoyed since making a low-key start to the campaign.
Both Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa failed to secure a podium finish at the opening three races - a rarity for the sport's biggest name - but they have recovered well, with Alonso finishing second in Monaco and Valencia before finally mounting the top step.
The win moves Alonso up to third in the drivers' championship, 92 points behind Vettel - although that is a gap which team principal Stefano Domenicali concedes is too daunting to contemplate closing anytime soon.
"The engineers say that if you are quick at this track then you can be competitive at many of the tracks on which we have yet to race," said Domenicali. "I hope that's really the case.
"We don't want to do any calculations regarding the championship. We must tackle each race as it comes with this same approach, without let-up."
