Alonso was running around 10th place at the entry to the first corner when Kvyat locked up, made contact with the Spaniard and tipped him into a spin.

The stricken McLaren then collected Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, resulting in damage that put both cars out of the race.

Kvyat was given a drive-through penalty for causing the collision, but continued to finish 16th and last.

“I think so, yes,” said Alonso when asked if he felt Kvyat had made a basic error. “Obviously, we know at the start it is tricky from the middle of the pack, but in the first metres of the race it isn’t necessary to gain those extra metres.

“The guys behind, they need to prove [themselves] sometimes, their seats and their futures. They risk a little bit too much.”

Alonso also felt that the drive-through penalty was lenient given that Kvyat’s error put him and Verstappen out of the race.

“Obviously, it was the first corner and the people behind arrived a little bit too fast, they destroyed our race,” said Alonso.

“We are here talking to you and not in the race car, so a drive through is probably a little bit of a small penalty. It’s the way it is. Hopefully the next one we are without problems into Turn 1.”

Kvyat claimed the collision was the result of Alonso having to brake early because of what was happening ahead.

“I didn’t see too much what was happening in front of me, I think Verstappen had a problem too, so Alonso reacted to that,” said Kvyat.

“So he saw it, I didn’t see it, he took a step back and me, on the other hand, I braked where my references were and I saw that Fernando took his margins.

“Trying to correct it, the wheels were locked then you are just hoping for the best at that stage. And the collision happened, simple as that.”

Additional reporting by Lawrence Barretto