Alex Albon 'doubles down' on Fernando Alonso counter: 'Hope our paths don't cross'

Alex Albon has doubled down on his insistence that he did nothing wrong in his collision with Fernando Alonso - that has sparked yet another gibe from the veteran.

On the opening lap in Austin last time out, Albon collided with the left-hand side of Alonso's car at the Turn 11 hairpin, destroying the aerodynamics and hobbling the Aston Martin. 

After the race where both had finished outside of the points with the damage, Alonso claimed that the driving standards in the lower midfield were very low - with Albon initially brushing off his comments. 

However, on media day in Mexico City, Alonso reiterated his comments and said that: "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.

"So that tells you everything. So I still feel the same. That was a mistake [by Albon]; it was not needed, and I still find it difficult to understand what the opportunity was that Alex saw in that moment."

Albon then doubled down on his belief that he had done nothing wrong in the collision, and said that he hoped he and Alonso would not clash this weekend in Mexico. 

"Firstly, I would say that I hugely respect Fernando. I think he's a great driver, and I've looked up to him a lot growing up as a kid," Albon began when offered a response to Alonso's comments by media, including RacingNews365. 

 "I think we're all in our own little fight at the back. I don't think it's the level of the drivers as much. I would say the grid's the strongest it's been for a while, and obviously post-race comments are always a little bit more in the heat at the moment, so you can always say you can take it with a pinch of salt. 

"I thought it was a good battle. I thought we had a good scrap, so clearly he didn't think the same thing, but it was a race-long battle. Even the incident itself, I thought, was very 50-50 in terms of where the cars were on track. 

"I'll double down on what I said," Albon then said. "I have a huge respect for Fernando. I looked up to him a lot growing up as a kid; obviously it's not nice to hear those comments when you're racing someone that you look up to, but at the same time, I don't agree.

"It's as simple as that. I think the level is strong up and down the grid. I think 10-15 years ago, it wasn't. 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 corners or cross paths in the race this weekend."

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Drivers defend Albon

Other midfield drivers, including Pierre Gasly and Oliver Bearman, also defended Albon against Alonso's comments, declaring the level to be "super-high."

"I'm pleased I'm in the first half of the grid so I've made the cut myself," Gasly quipped.

"I mean, you've got to love Fernando for the statements he makes out there, and I have so much respect for the driver he is, and at the same time, he's very vocal. 

"I haven't seen his race. I'm not too sure what he referred to, but I will say that the level on the grid is probably one of the highest, considering all the drivers we have now, from what I've seen [earlier in my career], and I've seen some wilder driving approaches when I joined, compared to what I see now.

Bearman declared Alonso's gibe to be "slightly harsh."

"I think that's a slightly harsh conclusion because I agree with Pierre that the level is very high on this current grid," he said.

"I think with the gaps that we face this year, you have to be very opportunistic at times, and that can end in disaster, as it did for me last week with Pierre and myself.

"So I wouldn't say it's a question of quality. It's a question of trying your very best and trying to make something happen, which is very challenging when the top eight positions are pretty much all filled by the top four teams."