Brown 'in a state of disbelief' after Alonso FP1 failure

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McLaren boss Zak Brown couldn't believe his eyes when Fernando Alonso's McLaren was left stranded after just three corners in the morning's free practice session.

As he embarked on his first lap of the day, Alonso came to a smoking halt on the exit of Turn 3, his morning undermined by another Honda power unit failure.

"Sadness… disappointment… just kind of a state of disbelief," Brown commented on Alonso's early exit from FP1.

"But you then can't cry over spilt milk, so we it [was best to] quickly getting to turning your attention to Stoffel's car and seeing what we learn there.

"He's gone alright today all things considered, he's done an exceptional job, then you hope to learn about whatever caused the failure."

Brundle labels Alonso's woes a 'horror show'

A dejected Alonso simply left the Circuit de Catalunya shortly after his engine failure, and hit the nearby tennis courts instead.

"I think anything Fernando can do to exercise his frustration is a good thing," he added.

"If you go sit in a room you just don’t exercise, [you need to] get some energy out, you get built up energy, you expect to go out and do an hour and a half and end up doing something substantially less than that.

"I think going and doing other activities to get your mind off it is healthy."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.