A hairpin collision, then a war of words
Fernando Alonso has not softened. Ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Aston Martin driver repeated his criticism of drivers at the back of the field, describing a “very low level of driving and lack of talent” among the bottom third of the grid.
The row goes back to the opening lap in Austin. Alex Albon tried to pass Alonso for 12th into the Turn 11 hairpin, and the Williams made contact with the side of the Aston Martin. Both cars were damaged. Stewards issued no penalty, and Alonso finished 16th with Albon 17th.
Alonso argued that half of a race is decided on lap one, and that a driver with real confidence can afford to wait a lap or two. He named Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli as drivers who have won after starting deep in the pack. He will not bring it up in Friday’s drivers’ meeting, calling it “part of the game”, and said the answer for Aston Martin is to qualify higher.
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Albon and the grid push back
Albon, 19th in the standings, said he would “double down” on his view. He holds “huge respect” for Alonso, whom he admired growing up, but called the comments “not nice” and disagreed. In his opinion the field is strong from top to bottom, and the back half is far better than it was 10 to 15 years ago, with no pay drivers in the way there once were.
Others sided with Albon. Pierre Gasly praised Alonso for speaking his mind but said he agrees with the Williams driver, adding that this is among the strongest grids he has seen in around nine years. Oliver Bearman called Alonso’s conclusion “slightly harsh”. For the Haas driver the issue is opportunism rather than quality, since the top eight are usually filled by the top four teams.
Why it matters this weekend
Alonso, 44, said the criticism is nothing new and would have been the same at any point since his debut in 2001. He also pointed at the cost cap, saying it adds pressure on back-of-grid cars that are harder to drive, and at teams that keep breaking parts because they “can pay for them”. With first practice on Friday and the race on Sunday, a first-lap tangle between these two would restart the argument at once.
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