Leclerc backs Albon after Alonso’s criticism of F1 backmarkers

F1 / NEWS & CONTEXTNEWS & CONTEXT

Charles Leclerc says the standard across Formula 1 is high and attributes the gap between the front and rear of the field to the cars. He rejected Fernando Alonso’s criticism after an opening-lap collision between Alonso and Alex Albon at the United States Grand Prix.

GPBeat · NewsroomGPBeat · Newsroom29 Oct 2026, 23:34 · 1 min

Charles Leclerc has rejected Fernando Alonso’s criticism of drivers at the back of Formula 1, saying standards are high throughout the grid and that the cars account for the difference between front and rear.

Alonso made the criticism after a collision with Alex Albon on the opening lap of the United States Grand Prix. He said the quality of drivers in the lower third was very low and stood by his comments while speaking to media in Mexico City.

At the drivers’ press conference in Mexico, Leclerc praised Albon as exceptional. He said he had looked up to the Williams driver, who was one or two categories ahead of him.

Albon, who was also at the press conference, disagreed with Alonso. He said he respected Alonso and had looked up to him while growing up, but that the comments were not nice to hear. Albon argued that standards are strong across the grid and that the back half is not what it was 10 or 15 years ago; he added that F1 no longer has paid drivers.

Sources 01