Alonso slams Albon: The quality of the drivers at the back is far too low

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso criticised Williams driver Alex Albon after their collision on the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix. Alonso said Albon forgot that the car was there at Turn 11 and had to turn left.

Both cars were damaged in the incident. Albon hit the side of Alonso's car while trying to pass him for 12th place at the Turn 11 bend. The stewards gave neither driver a penalty and the race continued. Alonso finished 16th and Albon finished 17th.

Alonso also criticised the performance of the drivers in the bottom third of the grid. In his view, the team needs to start further up and the quality of the drivers needs to improve. Alonso recalled that his qualifying lap for 12th place gave him the best Saturday result of the year.

Alonso believes the race was the most competitive performance of the year for the team. The driver, who said tyre management was good, added that the first-lap damage cost roughly half a second per lap and removed any chance of scoring points.