![\"Fernando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/XPB_1447195_HiRes.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFernando Alonso has lashed out at Alex Albon following their Turn 1 incident in Austin. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFernando Alonso has lashed out at Alex Albon following their Turn 1 incident in Austin. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
The Aston Martin driver was left frustrated after contact with Albon on the first lap of Sunday\u2019s race in Austin, an incident the Spaniard believes cost him a valuable opportunity to score points.<\/p>\n
Alonso had qualified 12th but found himself caught between Albon\u2019s Williams on the inside and Esteban Ocon<\/a>\u2019s Haas on the outside as the field battled for position.<\/p>\n Albon attempted to make a move down the inside, but the pair made contact, causing significant damage to Alonso\u2019s car and compromising the remainder of his race.<\/p>\n The two-time world champion eventually finished 16th, one position ahead of Albon, and was particularly critical of the Williams driver\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \u201cAlbon forgot that corner 11 was there and he had to turn left,\u201d Alonso said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the quality of the drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low, as we saw today with Alex.\u201d<\/p>\n Alonso suggested that Aston Martin\u2019s position in the midfield was leaving him vulnerable to incidents involving drivers he believes are not performing at the required standard.<\/p>\n Rather than continuing to battle among those towards the rear, the Spaniard acknowledged that improving the team\u2019s competitiveness was necessary to avoid similar situations.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need to improve the car and start a little bit higher up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The collision proved particularly costly given Alonso\u2019s assessment of Aston Martin\u2019s performance throughout the race, which he considered its most competitive showing of the season.<\/p>\n Despite the damage, he maintained reasonable pace throughout the afternoon and believed a top-10 finish had been achievable.<\/p>\n Alonso estimated that the damage had cost him at least half a second per lap, revealing the extent of the problems when he inspected his car after the race.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car is destroyed. I saw it in parc ferm\u00e9,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHalf of the floor is not there. I don\u2019t know how we kept on going and how we were semi-competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n His frustration was compounded by the missed opportunity to make ground on Williams in the constructors\u2019 championship.<\/p>\n With Lance Stroll<\/a> finishing 15th, Aston Martin remains 10th in the standings on seven points, five behind Williams.<\/p>\n Despite Alonso\u2019s criticism, the stewards did not penalise Albon for the collision, with the Williams driver offering a different perspective on how the incident unfolded.<\/p>\n Albon was largely positive about his battle with Alonso, although he acknowledged that the contact had also affected his own race.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always fun to race Fernando,\u201d Albon said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s strong but he\u2019s fair always. Maybe he thought I was a bit over the edge, I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll find out soon.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I had a good amount of fun, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n The Williams driver explained that the presence of Ocon on Alonso\u2019s outside had contributed to the contact, leaving him with limited room to avoid the Aston Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the inside of Fernando, so then I think it pinched. And I tried to get out of the way and get on the curb, but I didn\u2019t make good of it,\u201d Albon explained.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I imagine he got damaged. I know I got damaged driving around with a broken wing for the race.\u201d<\/p>\n The race was won by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli<\/a>, who extended his championship advantage to 123 points and now needs just two points at next weekend\u2019s Mexico City Grand Prix to secure his maiden world title.<\/p>\n