Alex Albon Calls Austin Collision With Fernando Alonso ‘50–50’ While Defending Current F1 Grid
Alex Albon has responded to Fernando Alonso‘s criticism following their crash at the United States Grand Prix last weekend. Albon also defended the standard of the current Formula 1 grid after the two-time world champion criticized the quality of the drivers, calling the quality of the lower third of the grid “very low”.
When asked about the Spaniard’s comments about the incident on Thursday in Mexico City, Albon described his first lap Austin collision with Alonso as a “50-50” situation.
“I thought it was a good battle,” Albon said. “Even the incident itself, I thought, was very 50-50 in terms of where the cars were on track.”
The incident occurred at Turn 11 of the opening lap at COTA. Alex Albon made an overtaking move on the inside of Alonso, who had Esteban Ocon on his outside, resulting in wheel-to-wheel contact. The contact left both drivers with damaged cars, and both of them finished outside of the points.
Williams currently stands ninth in the constructors’ championship, five points ahead of Aston Martin.
Alex Albon Backs the Strength of the Current Driver Grid
Beyond the first-lap incident, the Williams driver also shared his thoughts on Alonso’s remark about the quality of drivers being low. He believes the standard across the field is stronger than it was 10 to 15 years ago, particularly among teams fighting towards the back.
“I think we’re all in our own little fight at the back,” Albon said. “I don’t think it’s the level of the drivers as much. I would say the grid’s the strongest it’s been for a while.
“It’s as simple as that. I think the level is strong up and down the grid. I think 10-15 years ago, it wasn’t. The back half of the grid wasn’t the way it is now; we don’t have pay drivers anymore, so it is what it is.”
Alex Albon Still Respects Fernando Alonso Despite Clashing Views
Despite Alonso’s harsh words and on-track collision, the British-Thai driver acknowledged the respect he has for the Spaniard, whom he admired while growing up.
“I have a huge respect for Fernando,” Albon said. “I looked up to him a lot growing up as a kid. Obviously it’s not nice to hear those comments when you’re racing someone that you look up to, but at the same time, I don’t agree.”
Alonso ended up finishing 16th in Austin while Albon finished behind him in 17th.
As the 2026 F1 schedule arrives in Mexico City, the 30-year-old Williams driver hopes that they don’t cross paths at the Mexico Grand Prix this weekend.
The Mexico race weekend kicks off with FP1 on October 30 at 12:30 PM, followed by FP2 at 4 PM. The action resumes on Saturday with FP3 and qualifying before concluding with the main event on November 1 at 2 PM local time.
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