Here's the thing about Fernando Alonso: he never, ever holds back. Following an opening lap collision at the United States Grand Prix, as Crash.net reports, the Aston Martin driver didn't just criticize the move—he took a blowtorch to the entire back end of the Formula 1 grid.
Driving for Aston Martin, the two-time world champion found himself clashing with Williams driver Alex Albon as the pair scrapped for position in Austin. The impact inflicted catastrophic damage to Alonso's machine, tearing away half of the floor and leaving the car completely destroyed. To make matters worse, the stewards opted to leave the incident unpunished.
He’s strong but he’s fair always. Maybe he thought I was a bit over the edge, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find out soon. But I had a good amount of fun, I think.
Yet, astonishingly, Alonso wrestled the wounded beast home to 16th place. According to his post-race assessment, the pace was actually there for a strong result on merit. "I think we lost half a second or more. The car is destroyed. I saw it in parc fermé. Half of the floor is not there," Alonso told reporters in Austin after Sunday’s race. He admitted he was baffled that the car remained semi-competitive, noting that points were a genuine possibility and could have brought Aston Martin closer to Williams in the constructors' championship had the car stayed in one piece.
Then came the real fury. Rather than just lamenting lost points from what he called his best race of the season by far, Alonso aimed his frustration squarely at the competitors populating the rear. "I think when you start at the back, there is this risk always. I think the quality of the drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low, as we saw today with Alex. I think we need to improve the car and start a little bit higher up."
Albon, who crossed the line one position behind his rival in 17th, saw the battle through an entirely different lens. The Williams driver acknowledged the fierce wheel-to-wheel action while offering a contrasting view of the contact. "It’s always fun to race Fernando," Albon said. "He’s strong but he’s fair always. Maybe he thought I was a bit over the edge, I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find out soon. But I had a good amount of fun, I think."
Detailing the squeeze from the cockpit, Albon explained that he occupied the inside line before getting pinched. He attempted an escape route onto the curb, but it wasn't enough to avoid mutual wreckage. Both cars suffered, with Albon noting he spent the afternoon navigating the Grand Prix with a broken wing.
