Strategy pays off for Renault.

Fernando Alonso was only in a position to inherit victory from the luckless Kimi Raikkonen because his Renault team opted for a different strategy to many of his rivals.

That's the view of director of engineering Pat Symonds, who revealed after the Nurburgring event that the Spaniard's race had been planned to give him an improving car in the later stages. The move paid off when Raikkonen's McLaren finally succumbed to the vibrations from a flat-spotted tyre and spun into the turn one barriers on the final lap.

"This was a fine win for the whole team, but our feelings go to Kimi and McLaren, who did an excellent job today," a magnanimous Symonds said, "We took a very different approach with our strategy this weekend, which was designed to pay off at the end of the race - and, in fact, we did better than expected.

"Fernando lost a lot of time in his first stint, after being hit by Ralf Schumacher at the first corner, and lost positions, which left him stuck behind David Coulthard for the first twenty laps. However, he drove the kind of consistent race we are used to seeing, and the car was indeed very strong at the end."

With Raikkonen hobbled by his tyre problem - which left him with blurred vision and dropping seconds each lap to his pursuers - Alonso made the most of his set-up to home in on the Finn. The gap was down to just over a second with a lap to run, but the question of whether Alonso would be able to pass was rendered academic by the leader's accident.

"The car was very good today," the Spaniard confirmed, "It was easy to drive, and the strategy was definitely perfect.

"I had been quite happy to settle for second before the last pit-stop, then the team said Raikkonen had a problem and that I should push - that was when I went off because I was just trying 100 per cent and made a mistake. But, even so, I was catching Kimi - and then I saw him crash at the first corner. After that, I just had to stay calm for the last lap and take the flag.

"The most important thing about this victory is that it shows our team is strong. After Monaco, the mood was quite low, but we have shown that we can bounce back. Today's performance shows we are still leaders, and that both cars are quick - Fisi did a great job to be sixth, and he will be even quicker next time, I am sure. I think today proved we are really going to fight for this title."

Team MD Flavio Briatore shared Alonso's sentiments, praising both drivers for making the most of the strategists' planning.

"This was a fantastic victory for the whole team, and especially Fernando after a drive where he did not give up from start to finish," the flamboyant Italian commented, "We thought before the race that other cars were lighter than us with their fuel load, and the race proved us right, but it also showed we had the right strategy as we made up places on the other cars.

"Michelin provided great tyres, and we used them in the right way to keep pressure on McLaren until the last laps - and it paid off. We showed today that our car is quick - Fisico managed to climb 14 positions from the back to finish sixth - so I offer my congratulations to the whole team on a great win."