Alonso blasts Albon after US GP clash, says midfield driver quality is “very low”

Published: October 26, 2026

Fernando Alonso launched a sharp criticism of Alex Albon after the pair collided on the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix, saying the standard among drivers at the back of the Formula 1 field was “very low”.

Albon attempted to pass Alonso for 12th place into the Turn 11 hairpin, but the Williams made contact with the Aston Martin, damaging both cars. Neither driver was penalised. Alonso recovered to finish 16th, with Albon 17th.

Alonso says damage cost him points

“Albon forgot Turn 11 was there and he had to turn left,” Alonso said. He added: “We need to get better and start a little bit higher up because the bottom third of the grid, the quality of the drivers is very low at the moment.”

Alonso said his car was competitive despite the damage, which he estimated cost around half a second per lap. He described it as Aston Martin’s strongest race of the year and felt a top-10 result had been possible on pace.

“We had a P9 or P10 on merit. The best and strongest race of the year but ruined in the first lap with the Turn 11 incident.”

Albon says Ocon was also involved

Albon rejected the suggestion that he should apologise, saying he was alongside Alonso into the corner and that Esteban Ocon, positioned on the outside of Alonso, also affected the sequence.

“It’s racing. I think there was a car on his outside that squeezed [him]. I was side by side with him the whole way into the corner. It’s hard to disappear,” Albon said.

Albon said the pair had another battle later in the race and described their racing as enjoyable. Formula 1’s next stop is the Mexico City Grand Prix, the second event in the Americas triple-header.