Lance Stroll has defended his role in the crash between himself and Fernando Alonso in the United States Grand Prix.

The Aston Martin driver was a retirement from the race as a result of the incident which saw Alonso tag his left-rear wheel on the back straight while attempting to pass.

Stroll’s car received heavy rear-end damage as a result while his Alpine rival became airborne for a moment, tagging the barrier on the left, but otherwise able to continue after replacing his front wing.

“It was a good start to the race and everything was feeling good in the car,” the Canadian said.

“We were in a good position in third and then, yeah, contact with Fernando.

“It’s a shame. I mean, it was close, wheel-to-wheel racing.”

The incident occurred when Alonso pulled out of the slipstream to pass Stroll, who moved shortly afterwards to defend.

“I definitely moved late, but there was a big difference in speed,” he observed.

“So I was judging more of less, kind of figured where he was behind me.

“But it’s not like I hit him on the side. In fact, he drove [into] the rear of my car.

“I gave him plenty of room on the left of the track, so it’s not like I squeezed him or anything like that against the wall.

“He could have moved earlier and more,” he added.

“He didn’t have to get too close to me either, so there’s a lot of different ways you can look at it.”

The incident was noted by the Stewards, who advised they’d investigate the matter post-race.