Fernando Alonso Renews Criticism of Albon and the F1 Field Before Mexico City Grand Prix

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso has doubled down on his scathing criticism of Williams driver Alex Albon and the bottom third of the F1 grid, following the events of the United States GP. Having previously claimed that the talent on some of the smaller teams on the grid was ‘very low,’ the Spaniard has not changed his stance ahead of the Mexico City GP.

Referring to his comments from last weekend when speaking to the F1 media in Mexico City, Alonso stated, “I think it’s simply a very low level of driving and lack of talent.”

He added, “When you make repeated mistakes throughout the season and have crashes and 50 per cent of your race is in Lap 1, if I was the team principal I would not be happy, but if they are happy, I’m OK with that.”

Looking at the likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli starting at the back when they take a penalty, Alonso detailed how those drivers never focus their entire energy on Lap 1. Instead, they choose to build a steady rhythm, opting to wait a few more laps before starting to make positions.

Despite his continued stance, Alonso has made it clear that he does not plan on bringing the issue up during Friday’s driver meeting. He feels the aggression is still a part of the game, and if he wants no part of it, it is down to Aston Martin to build a better car.

Alex Albon’s Response to Fernando Alonso

The whole saga began last weekend, when Albon tried overtaking Alonso in Turn 11 of COTA on the opening lap of the race. Fighting for P12, Albon made contact with the side of Alonso’s Aston Martin on the hairpin, damaging both cars.

Neither driver was penalized for the incident, and both of them continued their race, but only for the two-time champion to finish in P16, followed by Albon in P17. Post the race, Alonso ripped into the ‘bottom third’ of the F1 grid and the quality of their driving.

Responding to the comments of Alonso, Albon, too, decided to double down on what he had said last week. The Thai driver reiterated his respect for the Spaniard and how he looked up to him as a child.

However, he added that he doesn’t agree with the comments of the former world champion, claiming that the entire grid is as strong as it has been for a while. Per Albon, it wasn’t nice to hear such comments from the senior driver, and he hopes that their paths don’t cross in the race this weekend.

Fellow Drivers Back Alex Albon Over Fernando Alonso

Sitting alongside Albon in the Mexico City GP press conference were Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who both backed the comments of the Williams driver. Taking the mic first, Gasly initially said that one has to love Alonso for the statements he makes in public.

Everyone has a lot of respect for the Spaniard as a driver and the fact that he is often very vocal about the issues in the sport. However, Gasly still agreed with the words of Albon, as he, too, feels that the quality of the grid is ‘probably the highest’ right now.

Having seen some ‘wild’ driving styles when he first joined F1, Gasly had no issues branding the current grid as the best of the bunch.

Bearman would continue from where Gasly left off, as he thought that Alonso’s criticism was a rather harsh conclusion. Given the gaps that are available this year, drivers need to be opportunistic, and it can sometimes lead to incidents like the one in Austin.

As such, Bearman doesn’t think it is as much a question of quality; rather, it is more about trying your best to make something happen.

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