Alonso says Albon clash cost Aston Martin points chance

Fernando Alonso said first-lap contact with Alex Albon at the United States Grand Prix damaged his Aston Martin and cost him a chance to score points, while the stewards took no action against the Williams driver. The cars made contact at Turn 11 as Albon tried to pass Alonso on the inside. Alonso said the damage to his car cost around half a second per lap and left it substantially compromised. He finished 16th, four places below where he started, after a race in which he said Aston Martin had shown its strongest competitiveness of the season. Alonso said he believed points were possible without the damage. He described the car as competitive despite its condition and said it had been running 12th. His assessment that Aston Martin could have reached ninth or 10th without the incident was a counterfactual, not the final result. He also said a points finish might have brought the team closer to Williams in the constructors’ standings; Williams was five points ahead in the fight for ninth, according to race reporting. After the race, Alonso criticized driving standards among drivers at the back of the grid and singled out Albon. He said Albon had failed to account for the turn...