- Fernando Alonso criticised the driving standards among Formula 1’s backmarkers after an opening-lap collision with Alex Albon at the United States Grand Prix left his Aston Martin heavily damaged and restricted him to 16th place.
- Despite losing significant aerodynamic performance from floor damage, Alonso believed Aston Martin had the pace to secure a rare points finish, with the Spaniard estimating that ninth or tenth position was achievable.
- Albon disputed Alonso’s assessment of the collision, citing the involvement of Esteban Ocon, while the stewards took no further action as Aston Martin remained last in the constructors’ championship with seven points.
Fernando Alonso has delivered a scathing assessment of the driving standards amongst Formula 1’s backmarkers, following an opening lap collision with Williams’ Alex Albon which effectively curtailed the Spaniard’s hopes of scoring points at the United States Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion was left incensed after sustaining significant damage to his Aston Martin AMR26 during a three-way tussle with Albon and Haas driver Esteban Ocon at Turn 11 of the Circuit of the Americas, with the incident costing him valuable positions and compromising the remainder of his afternoon.
Having qualified 12th, Alonso was optimistic about Aston Martin’s prospects of securing a rare points finish, particularly given the encouraging race pace demonstrated by the Silverstone outfit throughout the weekend.
However, those aspirations were swiftly dashed when Albon attempted to negotiate the inside of the tight left-hander, making contact with the Aston Martin and damaging its floor.
While both drivers were able to continue, Alonso ultimately crossed the finish line a disappointing 16th, one position ahead of the Williams driver, with neither able to recover sufficiently to challenge for the points-paying positions.
And the 45-year old was in no mood to mince his words when questioned about the incident following the race.
“Albon forgot that corner 11 was there and he had to turn left,” Alonso remarked.
“I think the quality of the drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low, as we saw today with Alex.”
A damning assessment from one of the most experienced competitors in Formula 1 history, particularly given the Spaniard’s own struggles to extract results from an Aston Martin outfit which has endured a torrid introduction to the sport’s new regulatory era.
Alonso also acknowledged that the team’s lack of competitiveness had repeatedly exposed him to the risks associated with battling amongst the midfield and backmarkers.
“I think we need to improve the car and start a little bit higher up,” he conceded.
A rare opportunity squandered for Aston Martin
The frustration was compounded by what Alonso considered to be Aston Martin’s strongest race performance of the 2026 campaign, with the Spaniard adamant that a top-ten finish had been achievable on merit.
Despite the substantial damage sustained on the opening lap, Alonso remained competitive throughout much of the race, suggesting that the AMR26 had finally demonstrated a degree of pace which had been largely absent across the preceding rounds.
However, the extent of the damage became apparent after the chequered flag, with Alonso revealing that a considerable portion of the car’s floor had been torn away in the collision.
“The car is destroyed. I saw it in parc fermé,” said Alonso.
“Half of the floor is not there. I don’t know how we kept on going and how we were semi-competitive.”
The Spaniard estimated that the damage was costing him at least half a second per lap, a substantial deficit around the 5.513-kilometre Austin circuit, where maintaining aerodynamic stability through the sweeping high-speed sections is paramount.
Yet even with those limitations, Alonso believed that Aston Martin possessed sufficient underlying performance to challenge for ninth or tenth position.
A particularly bitter pill to swallow for an outfit which entered the weekend languishing at the foot of the constructors’ championship, having struggled to capitalise on the sweeping changes to Formula 1’s technical regulations.
Alonso’s afternoon was further complicated by a late pit stop for a replacement front wing, effectively ending any remaining possibility of salvaging a points finish.
Team principal Adrian Newey subsequently confirmed that the stop had disrupted the team’s intended one-stop strategy, while the damage had also prevented Alonso from fully exploiting his competitive race pace.
Before the unscheduled intervention, the Spaniard had been circulating at a comparable pace to the cars ahead, although Aston Martin’s straight-line speed deficit made overtaking an increasingly difficult proposition.
For a team desperately seeking signs of progress, the encouraging performance was therefore overshadowed by another disappointing result.
Albon disputes Alonso’s assessment
While Alonso was unequivocal in his criticism, Albon offered a considerably different interpretation of the collision, maintaining that the presence of Ocon on the outside had contributed to the lack of space available through the corner.
The Thai-British driver had enjoyed a strong getaway from the grid and was attempting to capitalise on the congested midfield battle, having drawn alongside Alonso as the field approached Turn 11.
However, with Ocon occupying the outside line, the available racing room quickly diminished.
“I was on the inside of Fernando, so then I think it pinched,” Albon explained.
“And I tried to get out of the way and get on the curb, but I didn’t make good of it.”
The Williams driver also revealed that his own car had sustained damage in the incident, forcing him to contend with a compromised front wing throughout the race.
“I know I got damaged driving around with a broken wing for the race,” he added.
Despite the collision and Alonso’s subsequent criticism, Albon appeared relatively unperturbed by the encounter, suggesting that he had otherwise enjoyed their on-track battle.
“It’s always fun to race Fernando,” he said.
“He’s strong but he’s fair always. Maybe he thought I was a bit over the edge, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find out soon.”
The stewards ultimately elected against penalising either driver, with the incident deemed a consequence of the congested opening-lap battle rather than an infringement warranting further action.
A decision which is unlikely to have appeased Alonso, particularly given the considerable consequences for his race.
Constructors’ battle adds to Alonso’s frustration
Beyond the immediate disappointment of a potential points finish slipping through his grasp, the incident also carries broader implications for Aston Martin’s attempts to avoid finishing last in the constructors’ championship.
The Silverstone outfit remains rooted to the bottom of the standings with just seven points, five adrift of Williams, following another weekend where neither driver managed to break into the top ten.
Lance Stroll finished 15th after starting from the pit lane, meaning Aston Martin departed Austin empty-handed despite displaying one of its more encouraging performances of the campaign.
For Alonso, the missed opportunity was particularly significant given how rarely the AMR26 has demonstrated the competitiveness required to challenge for points on merit.
And while the Spaniard’s criticism of Albon was characteristically forthright, the stewards’ decision not to intervene highlights the differing interpretations of an incident which occurred amid the inevitable congestion of the opening lap.
Albon had committed to the inside line, while Alonso was attempting to navigate the corner with Ocon occupying the outside.
Three drivers converging upon a rapidly narrowing piece of circuit was always likely to create problems, even if the consequences proved far more severe for the Aston Martin driver.
It is also worth considering that Albon himself has endured a difficult campaign with Williams, the Grove outfit having struggled to build upon the progress made during its encouraging 2025 season.
With both teams languishing towards the rear of the field, the battle for the remaining championship positions has become increasingly important as attention begins to shift towards 2027.
For Aston Martin, the immediate priority is translating the encouraging pace displayed in Austin into tangible results, rather than allowing another opportunity to slip through its grasp.
And while Alonso may believe the standard of driving amongst the backmarkers leaves plenty to be desired, his own assessment perhaps offers the most telling conclusion.
Until Aston Martin can consistently qualify further up the grid, the Spaniard will remain exposed to the very midfield battles which have so frequently undermined his ambitions throughout a frustrating 2026 campaign.
