Defeat for Red Bull no longer a ’miracle’ - de la Rosa

A defeat for Red Bull in the 2011 world championship will no longer require a "miracle", according to Pedro de la Rosa.

McLaren’s veteran reserve driver admitted the mood had been pessimistic leading into the British grand prix, because Silverstone is a circuit "which appeared to have been designed for the Red Bulls".

McLaren ultimately had a disappointing weekend, but Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were both beaten to the chequered flag by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

"Perhaps this has been the most convincing victory of the whole season," he wrote in his column for formulasantander.com.

"The mistake with Vettel’s pitstop and Red Bull’s need to issue team orders to protect their number one invites us to think that the comeback is now not a miracle, it is a possible reality, difficult but possible," added the Spaniard.

Alonso meanwhile said that while his win is a big morale booster, Ferrari’s new approach - more aggressive than in the recent past - will remain.

"Maybe it will happen that we pay a high price for that (approach) but there is no alternative," he said.

"We are definitely not giving up, but we must not think about the championship - as Montezemolo said, we are keeping our feet on the ground."