(CNN) -- Fernando Alonso kept his world title hopes alive with a controversial victory in the German Grand Prix on Sunday, claiming his and Ferrari's first race win since the Formula One season-opener in March.
The two-time world champion, who started second on the grid behind Sebastian Vettel, recovered after being overtaken at the start by teammate Felipe Massa.
Massa held off a surging Alonso until the 49th lap, when he appeared to let the Spaniard through after being told on his radio that he was the slower of the two drivers despite there being rules against team orders.
It appeared to be a tactical decision by Italian outfit, with Brazilian Massa trailing Alonso by 31 points in the overall standings before the race.
Alonso, who also won in Bahrain, stayed in fifth place but closed to within 34 points of leader Lewis Hamilton with eight races left. He pulled clear to win by 4.1 seconds, twice setting the fastest lap of the race.
CNN
