Alonso - recording his 17th career victory - beat home team-mate Lewis Hamilton, his fourth successive second place in his maiden season, while Felipe Massa of Ferrari was third, his best result in the race.

Alonso - who leads the title race on 38 points the same number as Hamilton but has the edge as he has won two races this season - led by seven seconds after 20 laps with Hamilton recording the fastest lap of the race at the time and Massa in third. It was the McLaren team's first one-two finish at the famous race on the unforgiving Mediterranean street circuit since 1989, the heyday of Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who won, and Alain Prost of France, who was second.

It was Alonso's second win this season, following his maiden win for the team in Malaysia, and the team's second one-two. They did the same by finishing in the same order in Kuala Lumpur.

Alonso won last year's Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, so this was his second win in the principality and lifted him to the top of this year's drivers' championship standings ahead of Hamilton on races won.

Alonso had won his previous three races on the twisting roads of Monte Carlo in junior formulae so this achievement was also his first defeat.

The result left both men on 38 points at the head of a title race that now looks as likely to be as dominated by them as was Sunday's processional 78 laps demonstration of supremacy around the harbour.

Massa came home third for Ferrari and was the only driver not lapped by the 25-year-old Spaniard and 22-year-old Briton in the race.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth for Renault, Poland's Robert Kubica fifth for BMW Sauber ahead of his team-mate German Nick Heidfeld.

Austrian Alex Wurz was seventh for Williams and Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who started from 16th position on the grid, came home eighth to grab a point for Ferrari.

The race did not produce a single notable passing move and was hardly a thrilling exposition of the thrills of Formula One as Alonso came home in a winning time of one hour 40 minutes and 29.329 seconds, at an average speed of more than 260 kph, on the 3.340 kms circuit.

The race began under a cloudy sky with intermittent sunshine and some breeze, but the threat of rain diminished as time passed. When the lights went out, Alonso made a smooth start and swept unchallenged down the road to Ste Devote and up the hill towards Casino Square ahead of Hamilton in second.

The order behind them settled down immediately into a predictable order with Massa third ahead of Fisichella, Heidfeld and the German-born Nico Rosberg in his Williams.

In front of a big crowd, estimated at more than 120,000, that included several well-known guests like Hollywood actors Jude Law and Johnny Lee Miller, former Juventus and Czech Republic soccer star Pavel Nedved and German tennis legend Boris Becker, the race soon turned into a routine procession.

Hamilton, seeking to become the first driver in his rookie season to win the Monaco Grand Prix, chased Alonso hard, but more than seven seconds behind him before the first round of pit-stops.

These allowed him to lead for three laps from lap 36 to 39 until he pitted himself and Alonso regained the advantage.

The Spaniard stayed there out in front with few alarms until he pitted again for a second time after 51 laps.

This time Hamilton enjoys a stronger position and after leading briefly he trails Alonso by only 1.9 seconds after 57 laps with Massa 46 seconds adrift in third place for Ferrari.

It is by now clearly a one-team race, but there seemed little chance of Hamilton passing his partner as the team controlled the gap and ensured that McLaren had plenty to celebrate.

It was the McLaren team's 14th win in Monaco.