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McLaren F1 team leaders Zak Brown and Stella blamed opposing racers for the crash between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the US GP sprint event.

Piastri, leading Norris in the standings by twenty-two points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after hitting the Hulkenberg.

The crash forced out both McLaren drivers from the event, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of Hulkenberg.

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Crash

Brown, the team's CEO, commented to broadcasters that some of the racing at the front was "inexperienced", stating: "Clearly Nico hit Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella stated: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed that we were denied the possibility to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with necessary care. Enter the first corner, make sure you don't damage competitors and carry on."

The team indicated that Stella was pointing to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

However, former champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed the Australian had not demonstrated enough understanding of the dangers of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he decided to move inside to try to overtake his teammate.

The Australian had a better start than Norris and at first competed on the outside on the ascending approach to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the exit, only to make contact with Hulkenberg.

Racer Comments After the Incident

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I haven't seen what occurred, I tried to move inside on Norris and we were both very far from the corner apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Norris. Unfortunate."

His teammate commented: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Further back events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more carefully. It's more people behind just being a bit reckless and we are the consequence of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the correct position on the inner side, but some cars came very quickly from the outside changing direction and then I was there in the center."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a season-best fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar steered inward pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

The team will analyze the crash with their drivers but only after the event weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now concentrating on repairing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

"Our team holds a strong position from our performance point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to compete, compete fairly and utilize our capabilities."

"Championship points are the most important thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A bit more prudence would be beneficial for all involved."

Championship Implications

The race was taken by Red Bull's Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and 33 adrift of Norris.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two strong racers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

The Red Bull driver said he was approaching the title race race by race.

US GP

17-19 October, with main event from 20:00 BST on Sunday

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