Alonso labels Monaco GP 'most boring F1 race ever'

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Fernando Alonso struggled to find a motif of satisfaction after his retirement from Sunday's Monaco Grand prix, labeling his afternoon of racing as perhaps the most boring ever.

The McLaren driver appeared to be settling into a sixth consecutive - albeit uneventful - finish in 2018, running P7 for much of the race when a sudden gearbox problem put him out of contention after 52 laps.

The Spaniard had no other choice but to park his MCL33 down the escape road at Ste Devote and call it a day. A very boring day, according to the two-time world champion.

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"Extremely boring. I mean, this is probably the most boring race ever" Alonso said in the aftermath of his retirement, lamenting the depressing spectacle endured by the fans.

"Without a safety car, without yellow flags, I think the sport needs to think a little bit about the show because this is very disappointing.

"Probably the most boring race ever in Formula 1.

"So I think we probably need to give something to the fans at the end of the race just to pay the ticket back a little."

Alonso was understandably frustrated by his demise, as he hoped to keep his 100 percent reliability record intact.

"I’m obviously disappointed because this was our first retirement of the season today," he said.

"First, I felt a loss of power and then I was somehow stuck in fifth gear. It’s painful because we had seventh place in the bag.

"We were the fourth fastest car around here this weekend, and seventh in the race is what we would have deserved.

"There’s nothing we can do about it now, but we obviously need to improve our reliability for the forthcoming races."

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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.