Alonso blasts bottom-third drivers after Albon contact destroys Aston Martin floor in Austin

Fernando Alonso finished a frustrated 12th at the United States Grand Prix in Austin after first-lap contact with Alex Albon’s Williams left his Aston Martin AMR24 with severe floor damage, costing him four places on the opening lap and compromising his pace for the entire race.

Alonso had started 12th on the grid and already lost a position to Esteban Ocon’s rapid launch before the incident unfolded. Albon had gained three places off the line and was running 14th when the two drivers converged on the same inside line at Turn 11. As Alonso attempted to pass the battling Haas cars, Albon’s front-right wheel struck the Aston Martin’s left-hand bargeboard and floor edge. Alonso was pushed onto the outside kerb and dropped four further positions. The stewards did not investigate, treating it as a standard racing incident involving three cars fighting for the same piece of track.

The damage was extensive. Alonso considered retiring the car mid-race, only continuing after a new front wing was fitted. Even then, the AMR24 was handling asymmetrically — turning adequately to the right but struggling to the left — for the final 15 laps.

“That was the biggest damage,” Alonso told media after the race. “I think we lost half a second or more per lap. The car is destroyed; I saw it in parc ferme. Half of the floor is not there. I don’t know how we kept on going and how we were semi-competitive.”

Alonso was pointed in his assessment of where the blame lay, taking aim at the standard of driving among the lower-placed teams. “I think the quality of the drivers in the low third of the grid is very low,” he said. “As we saw today with Alex. So I think we need to improve the car and start a little bit higher up.”

Albon offered his own account of the incident, suggesting the situation was caused by a misread of the available space. “It felt like there was a car on the right side of Fernando, and he gave Fernando enough space as if he thought there was only one car on his inside,” Albon said. “But then I was on the inside of Fernando. So then I think it pinched and I tried to get out of the way and get on the kerb. But I didn’t make good of it.”

Alonso’s point that a damage-free car could have realistically challenged for points carries weight — he was running 12th with what he described as half a floor missing, suggesting a clean race could have brought Aston Martin closer to the top ten.