Fernando Alonso has criticised Alexander Albon following their opening lap collision at the United States Grand Prix on October 25, 2026. The incident, which occurred at the Circuit of the Americas, resulted in significant damage to Alonso’s Aston Martin and impacted his race performance.
Alonso, a two-time world champion, stated that the contact left his car with substantial damage, including the left-hand bargeboard and half of the floor. He estimated this damage cost him ‘half a second or more’ per lap.
The Aston Martin driver finished the race in 16th position, four places lower than his starting grid slot. He expressed belief that without the damage, a points finish, potentially as high as ninth or tenth, was achievable.
Alonso described the United States Grand Prix as ‘by far’ his team’s most competitive race of the season. He attributed the lost opportunity for points to the incident with Albon.
“I think when you start at the back, there is this risk always. I think the quality of the drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low, as we saw today with Alex. So I think we need to improve the car and start a little bit higher up.”
The collision took place at Turn 11 on the first lap as both drivers battled for position. Alonso commented that Albon ‘forgot that corner 11 was there and he had to turn left.’
Despite the contact and Alonso’s strong remarks, the F1 stewards did not issue a penalty for the incident.
Albon, driving for Williams, finished one place behind Alonso in 17th. He acknowledged sustaining damage to his own car’s front wing during the clash.
Albon offered his perspective on the incident, stating he was on the inside of Alonso and attempted to move onto the curb but ‘didn’t make good of it.’ He noted that he drove the remainder of the race with a broken wing.
The lost points for Aston Martin hold significance in the Constructors’ Championship. Aston Martin currently sits 10th with 7 points, while Williams is 9th with 12 points.
Earlier in the weekend, Albon was also involved in an incident during Free Practice 3 with Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar. Hadjar received a formal warning from the stewards for ‘retaliatory action’ after believing Albon had impeded him.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix was won by Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in second and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in third.
The full race results for the 2026 United States Grand Prix are as follows:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
8. George Russell (Mercedes)
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
12. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
13. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
14. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
17. Alex Albon (Williams)
18. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) DNF
21. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) DNF
22. Oliver Bearman (Haas) DNF
