China, Spain, Monaco and Canada have all included significant thrills this Formula One season, and Great Britain now can be added to that list.

The start of the British Grand Prix was downright bizarre, as part of the track appeared to be bone-dry while other sections were flooded with water. Sebastian Vettel jumped out to the early lead ahead of pole-sitter Mark Webber, and as is characteristic of the young German, he quickly checked out from the field. But everything went awry for Vettel on his second stop. A long visit to pit lane (nearly seven seconds longer than his first stop) let Fernando Alonso take control of the race, and he took full advantage.

Alonso brought home his 27th career victory, which ties Jackie Stewart for the fifth most in Formula One history. Since 2005, the Spaniard has won 22.4 percent of F1 races, a shade behind Vettel for the best rate in the business.

It also ensured Ferrari would not go winless on the season, something that has not happened since 1993. That streak of 18 seasons with at least one victory is by far the longest of any team in F1 history; it's five longer than the next-longest streak, held by McLaren.

Alonso's second victory in the British Grand Prix means he moves from fifth to third in the standings, and it's a far cry from his race here last year. In 2010, Alonso was penalized for cutting a corner and overtaking, and because of a drive-through penalty he finished 14th in the race, his worst non-retirement result of the year. That sparked a furious comeback, however, as Alonso would go on to win four of the next seven events.

While Alonso's victory was certainly a large storyline, much of the postrace discussion centered on Red Bull team orders. With the teammates battling for second, Red Bull informed Webber to hold his position, but Webber explained to reporters after the event why he ignored the order.

"I'm not fine with it, no," said Webber. "So that's the answer to that. If Fernando had retired on the last lap, then we would have been fighting for victory. I was fighting to the end; of course I ignored the team because I wanted another place. Seb was doing his best, I was doing my best, for sure I don't want to crash with anyone. That was it."

It's the second straight year at Silverstone that the team has been shrouded in controversy. Last year Webber won after Red Bull used the last remaining updated front wing on Vettel's car, creating noticeable tension among the teammates.

In the end, Vettel held off Webber to finish second, becoming the first driver since Alonso in 2006 to check in first or second in each of his first nine races. He has an 80-point lead in the standings over the second-place Webber, a man who has yet to lead a lap all season.

For home favorite McLaren, it was a race to forget. A costly mistake in pit lane meant Jenson Button departed with a very loose wheel, forcing him to retire after 39 laps. Lewis Hamilton, who won this race in 2008, looked to be faring much better before his team informed him that he needed to conserve fuel. That meant he lost a chance for the podium, and as a result, a McLaren driver is nowhere to be found in the top three of the driver standings for the first time this season.

A great drive that should not go unnoticed came at the hands of Mexico's Sergio Perez. He finished seventh and drove a steady race, which is something to be said considering his frightening accident at Monaco came not so long ago. Although teammate Kamui Kobayashi was forced to retire, Sauber has shown improvement this season over last. In 2010, the squad was eighth in the constructors' standings with 44 points. This year, the team already has collected 36 and sits behind just five teams.