Rivals push back on Alonso driver quality claim
Fernando Alonso's claim that the quality of drivers in the lower third of the F1 grid is very low has been rejected by several rivals ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Aston Martin driver repeated his view after a US GP clash with Alex Albon but others, including Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, described the overall standard as high or cited technical factors instead.
Alonso doubles down in Mexico
Fernando Alonso reiterated his post United States Grand Prix assessment that the quality of drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low.[1] The Aston Martin driver had made the remark after a first lap collision with Alex Albon at the Circuit of the Americas that left his car damaged.
Rivals disagree on grid standard
Albon's Williams teammate Carlos Sainz described the criticism as harsh and pointed to increased /glossary/dirty-air at the back of the grid as a contributing factor to incidents.[1] Ferrari's Charles Leclerc stated that the level of drivers remains very high even when results are hard to come by.[1]
Related reading
- [1]Rivals reject Alonso's brutal 'low quality' F1 drivers claim (the-race). Accessed 2026-10-30.