Ferrari boss Domenicali reckons Fernando Alonso is driving better than ever

The double world champion led from start to finish at Hockenheim on Sunday, sustaining relentless pressure from Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel to take victory.

Alonso said afterwards that he didn't feel the Ferrari F2012 was the fastest car last weekend. His team boss agreed, saying that the world championship leader has been in a different class this year.

"Considering that the race was 67 qualifying laps, it shows that Fernando is at the peak of his performance," said Domenicali. "He is in a great moment, and we will try to keep this momentum for as long as possible.

"It's true, I believe that we still do not have the fastest car. If we had the fastest car then it would be easier to win. We need to improve the car; in such a tight championship you need to make sure you develop race by race, otherwise you will lose points.

"The competition is so strong. Here the first three cars were within two or three seconds. It's nothing, considering that Fernando had to do 67 laps of qualifying."

Domenicali also praised Alonso's attitude at the start of the year, and the way he reacted to Ferrari's 2012 challenger starting the year way off the pace.

"This year it was important for Fernando not to lose faith in this team, when we had difficult days at the start of the season, with a car that was not a car!" he added.

"To see him always motivated or focused on the job, it was really good and it makes the difference when you are under pressure.

"We had a big job to improve the car, but if you see that your world champion is pushing in the right way for the team to work, then that is something fundamental. And for that we thank him a lot."