Alex Albon has insisted that his fight with Fernando Alonso at the US Grand Prix was ‘fun and fair’ after the Spaniard described him, by implication, as a ‘low-quality driver.’

During the opening lap at Turn 11, Albon hit into the side of the Spaniard’s car, and inflicted damage to Alonso’s left-hand side bargeboard and aerodynamics.

As a result, the Aston Martin driver suggested that his racing team had to get better and start higher on the grid, as “[at] the bottom of the grid, the quality of drivers is very low at the moment.” In response, Albon has confessed that he “had a good amount of fun” duelling with Alonso at the weekend.

Alex Albon makes playful Mustang-Mini comparison with Fernando Alonso, describes duel as “fun” at United States Grand Prix

The inciting incident occurred when Albon attempted to move up the inside of Alonso’s car at the hairpin just before the back straight, leading to a collision.

The Spaniard ultimately finished in 16th, with the Williams driver in 17th, then told the media after: “We need to get better and start a bit higher up… I think [at] the bottom of the grid, the quality of drivers is very low, at the moment.

In response, Albon described the incident, for which he received no punishment from the stewards, by referencing a YouTube clip that involves a Ford Mustang and a Mini.

“Have you ever watched the Goodwood and [seen] the Mustang and the Mini?” the Williams driver asked reporters, as relayed by Racing News.

“Well, it was the same thing. It was fun, and it is always fun to race Fernando. He’s strong, but he is always fair.”

The clip Albon invoked shows a more powerful Ford Mustang, in this case, Albon, being overtaken by a Mini, meaning Alonso, in corners, as it has a better chassis.

“Maybe he thought I was a bit over the edge. I don’t know; I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough, but I had a good amount of fun,” confessed Albon.

Alex Albon defends himself during Fernando Alonso feud after US GP incident

The Williams driver then described the incident in the States from his perspective, claiming that he tried to get out of the Spaniard’s way but failed to.

"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,” began Albon.

"But then I was on the inside of Fernando, and so it pinched, and I tried to get out of the way on the curb, but I couldn't.

"I took damage and was driving around with a broken front wing.” The 30-year-old then confessed he had high hopes of finishing clear of the Aston Martins in America, but encountered unforeseen difficulties.

"We pitted very early on the final set, and we had a long run on the hards," said the Williams driver. “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 teammate 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,” concluded Albon, who will have the chance to redeem himself at the Mexico City GP; elsewhere, Kimi Antonelli will look to become Formula 1’s youngest-ever champion on November 1.