Alonso: "Best race of the year" ruined by lap-one Albon damage
Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin's strongest race of 2026 was undone before it even began — and he's not letting Alex Albon off the hook.
Alonso finished 16th and a lap down at the United States Grand Prix, his afternoon compromised by contact with Albon at Turn 10-11 on the opening lap that stripped the left-hand bargeboard and half the floor from his AMR26. The damage cost him at least half a second per lap, yet Alonso still dragged the car to what he called his best race of the season.
"Yeah, I think it was the best race by far of the year for us in terms of competitiveness," Alonso said. "The car was very strong in the race, good tyre management. We got a lot of damage on lap one with the Albon incident. So yeah, despite that, the car was still competitive. So I think today we had maybe a P9, P10 on merit. So yeah, best and strongest race of the year."
The incident itself drew a characteristically blunt assessment from the two-time champion.
"That Albon forgot that corner 11 was there and he had to turn left," Alonso said.
Stewards took no action on the contact, a decision Alonso did not explicitly challenge but clearly disagreed with . His frustration, however, extended beyond one driver — and one afternoon.
"But yeah, we need to get better and start a little bit higher up," he said. "Because I think the bottom third of the grid, the quality of the drivers is very low at the moment."
It was a pointed remark from a driver who has spent the season wrestling a difficult car into positions it has no business occupying. Alonso's P9/P10 estimate is not idle boasting. He was running 12th with half a car before the team was forced to change his front wing, dropping him down the order.
Without the damage, points were a realistic prospect on pure pace. "The car is destroyed. I saw it in parc fermé," he said. "Half of the floor is not there. I don't know how we kept on going and how we were semi-competitive."
Instead, Aston Martin leaves Austin with nothing but the knowledge that the AMR26, at least on race day, is finally showing signs of life. The irony is sharp: the best the car has looked all year, undone by a moment Alonso believes should never have happened.
"We need to start a little bit higher up," he repeated. The message is clear. The further back you start, the more you rely on others — and Alonso has seen enough of the bottom third of the grid to know exactly what that's worth.
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