Fernando Alonso "optimistic" Aston Martin has fixed cockpit issue for Monaco GP

The world championship began 76 years ago, so it's rare indeed for a new reason for a car's retirement to enter the record books. But a withdrawal for back pain induced by seating position – Fernando Alonso's reason for parking his AMR26 in the garage after 23 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago – is more unusual than you might imagine, given the cramped confines of a Formula 1 car's ...