Fernando Alonso doubles down on comments about backmarkers

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso is seen during the drivers parade before the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25. | IMAGN IMAGES / VIA REUTERS

Oct 30, 2026

Mexico City – Fernando Alonso doubled down on his criticism of driving standards among Formula One’s backmarkers on Thursday as Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon hit back.

Double world champion Alonso, whose Aston Martin team is second from last overall and one place behind Williams, said after last weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix that there was “a very low level of driving and lack of talent” in the bottom third of the grid.

The comments came after a collision with Albon when the Thai tried to overtake at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, where Alonso finished 16th and Albon 17th.

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