Fernando Alonso has reiterated his criticism of drivers at the back of the Formula One grid, saying their level of driving is "very low" and citing a "lack of talent."
The double world champion made the comments after the United States Grand Prix, where he suffered damage in a collision with Williams driver Alex Albon. Speaking on media day ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Alonso was asked whether his thoughts on the matter had changed.
Alonso's Blunt Response
"I think it's simply a very low level of driving and lack of talent," the 45-year-old said.
He added: "When you make repeated mistakes throughout the season and have crashes and 50 percent of your race is in lap one, if I was the team principal I would not be happy but if they are happy, I'm okay with that."
Alonso pointed to drivers like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli as examples of talent, noting they can still win races even when starting from the back.
Alonso's Clarification
In a separate interview, Alonso admitted he may have over-exaggerated when he said the whole back third of the grid were culprits, but said those who took offence were likely the ones he had in mind anyway.
"I don't know if it's one third of the grid, because then I saw some reports trying to pick out eight drivers or seven drivers. I'm not specific on the number of them, but I think we all know which ones we talk about and which ones felt hit by that comment. That tells you everything, so I still feel the same," Alonso said.
He also referenced the collision with Albon, saying: "That was a mistake that was not needed and I still find it difficult to understand what the opportunity was that Alex saw in that moment. But it's not only Austin. Unfortunately, I've been in that part of the race for the whole season, so I see things from the car that I cannot tell you."
Albon's Response
Alonso's comments were put to Albon in the FIA press conference. The Williams driver said it was "not nice" to hear another driver speak about him that way, but resisted any temptation to snap back.
"I'll double down with what I said as well. I have a huge respect for Fernando. I looked up to him so a lot growing up as a kid. Obviously it's not nice to hear those comments in many ways. You're racing someone that you look up to," Albon said.
"At the same time, I don't agree. It's just as simple as that. I think the level is strong up and down the grid. I think 10, 15 years ago it wasn't, you know, the back half of the grid wasn't the way it is now. We don't have pay drivers anymore, so it is what it is. Hopefully we don't cross paths in the race this weekend."
