Williams F1 driver Alex Albon shared his thoughts on his opening-lap collision with Fernando Alonso, how great of a racetrack COTA is, and the negative impact of blue flags following his seventeenth-place finish at the 2026 United States GP on Sunday.
How the race unfolded for Albon
Setting only the twentieth-fastest time, Albon failed to make it out of the first segment of qualifying in Austin. However, he lined up in P17 the next day due to the grid penalties slapped on Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Lance Stroll.
Albon rose up to P14 on the opening lap after a strong launch off the line on the softest compound. While doing so, he dived to the inside of Alonso—who had Esteban Ocon on his outside—into the Turn 11 hairpin and made contact, unfortunately.
Despite inflicting damage on the front wing of his Williams and the Aston Martin’s left-hand bargeboard, the stewards elected to take no action against the 30-year-old.
After Nico Hülkenberg passed him on Lap 7, Albon held off Alonso through the first sector on Lap 9. But the Spaniard completed the move on Lap 12. Bortoleto then got by after two laps.
The two-time podium holder headed into the pits at the end of Lap 16 for a new set of softs and rejoined the track in P21. On Lap 32, he made his second stop for hards from P16.
Albon moved up to P15 on Lap 44 when Alonso made a long pit stop, but Stroll, who was on fresher tyres, passed him on Lap 47.
Alonso went off the track at Turn 13 on Lap 48 and handed the place back to Albon on the pit straight. However, the two-time World Champion made the overtake stick at Turn 1 on Lap 49.
The final laps were a close fight between the Williams teammates. The Thai-British driver saw the flag first in P17, with Carlos Sainz in P18 just 0.659 seconds behind.
Albon addresses Lap 1 contact with Alonso and the qualities of COTA
Speaking in the print media pen after the race, Alex Albon reflected on his clash with Alonso on Lap 1 of the 2026 United States GP.
Comparing their fight on Sunday to the battles between Ford Mustang and Mini seen in historic races at Goodwood, the Williams driver said that he had enjoyed racing Alonso. Additionally, he elaborated on what led to the contact in the first place and how he had spared no effort to avoid it.
“You know, you ever watch Goodwood and you ever see the Mustang and the Mini? You know that race? It’s the same thing.
“Yeah, it was fun though; it’s always fun to race Fernando [Alonso]. He’s strong but he’s fair always. Maybe he thought I was a bit over the edge; I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find out soon, but I had a good amount of fun.
“I don’t know, but 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.
“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.
“So, I imagine he got damage. I know I got damage and was driving around with a broken wing for the race.”
Albon was also effusive about the quality of racing COTA produced and reiterated how enjoyable it was for him.
“Most fun for sure. Austin’s always great.
“These tracks that have been designed for racing are always the best tracks. Proper racetracks, not street tracks.
“At least for me, from my cockpit, it felt like a lot of fun.”
Albon on how blue flags prevented him from getting a better result at the 2026 United States GP
Referring to his pit stop strategy, Alex Albon claimed that frequent blue flags had compromised his final stint and quashed his hopes of finishing ahead of Stroll and Alonso at the United States GP. He also mentioned how he had attempted to help teammate Sainz, albeit unsuccessfully, fend off the Aston Martins.
“We pitted very early on the final set, and we had a long run on the hards.
“It would have been okay, but when we came out, we were just getting blue flags. So, we lost maybe 10 or 12 seconds of race time on the blue flags, and then suddenly I thought Fernando, Lance [Stroll] and Carlos [Sainz] would not be in my race.
“I knew they were in my race with a few laps to go. So, I tried to hold off the Astons because I knew Carlos was on a fresher set and tried to help him have a chance on the Astons. But then in the end, they got through.”
Asked if the blue flags had impacted the engine’s power deployment, the 30-year-old stated that the 2026 F1 regulations have made racing more challenging for the backmarkers. Furthermore, he remarked that it’s not always easy to make way for drivers from the top teams while managing their own battles.
“It’s so strange racing this year when you’re two or three laps down. Every lap you’re either defending from an Aston Martin or you’re getting blue flags. It felt like the whole race you’re just in your mirrors the whole time.
“I’m sure the top teams don’t like us. But it’s frustrating. The whole race you’re just trying to find blue flag space or try and get away from the leaders. And you find them all the time.”
