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McLaren F1 team leaders Zak Brown and Andrea Stella blamed competitors for the crash between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

The Australian driver, ahead of his teammate in the standings by twenty-two points, crashed into his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The collision eliminated both team drivers from the event, along with the Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, told broadcasters that some of the racing at the start was "inexperienced", remarking: "Obviously Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

The team boss Stella stated: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we were denied the chance to race."

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience don't act with appropriate caution. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage competitors and carry on."

McLaren indicated that the team principal was pointing to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to cut back to try to overtake Norris.

The Australian had a better start than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the uphill approach to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to collide with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

Piastri said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what happened, I attempted to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then were struck and it propelled me into Norris. Unfortunate."

His teammate commented: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers further back just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the right place on the inside, but some vehicles came very quickly from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the center."

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth, said: "Big frustrations. All the good work from yesterday in the bin. Just chaotic."

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

"I had Fernando challenge on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was inevitable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

The team will review the crash with their racers but only after the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "Overall disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on repairing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the event from there."

"We are in a competitive place from our competitiveness point of view so I hope we have the possibility to race, compete fairly and capitalise on our capabilities."

"The points are the key thing, I prefer not to talk about bad intentions, just prudence. A little more care would be good for everyone."

Championship Implications

The race was won by the Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and 33 behind of Norris.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the maths says - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two skilled racers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

Verstappen said he was taking the championship race by race.

US GP

October 17-19, with race from 8 PM BST on Sunday

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