Alonso admits he'd have stayed in F1 if McLaren car was competitive

Fernando Alonso admits he may well have stayed in F1 beyond the current season had he been driving a competitive car. The McLaren is now racing below mid-field level placed 7th in the constructors' championship. During the summer break, Alonso confirmed he was calling time on his 17-year F1 career.

In the immediate aftermath, the Spaniard blamed the lack of excitement opened his exit door. But in the pre-race weekend press conference in Belgium, Alonso added in another factor.

“I think definitely it plays a part of it. If you are in one of those [top] two teams probably you keep going even if you don’t enjoy the races or the trips or the amount of years that you’ve been doing the same thing, that’s for sure," Alonso said.

When Alonso expressed his comments about the excitement levels, the F1 world began to compare F1's predictability with other racing events. The 37-year-old denied he meant this but pointed out extra details.

"In 2004 I won zero Grands Prix but I was in a couple of pole positions or podiums or whatever because we chose to run light fuel on Saturdays or gamble for the race. There’s been always a little bit of action. Maybe now it’s not the same.

“It’s nothing to compare, all my comments are not to compare those seasons against these years recently, or other series compared to this series."

Alonso has just nine races left in F1. The first of which begins this weekend as the 2018 season enters its business end.