🔗 Share this article

McLaren Formula 1 bosses Brown and Stella pointed to rival drivers for the incident between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, ahead of Norris in the championship by twenty-two points, bounced into his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The crash forced out both McLaren drivers from the race, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, commented to broadcasters that some of the driving at the start was "unprofessional", stating: "Clearly Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

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

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of expertise fail to act with necessary care. Enter the initial turn, make sure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

McLaren indicated that the team principal was pointing to both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he thought the Australian had not shown enough awareness of the dangers of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he decided to cut back to try to pass his teammate.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outside on the ascending approach to the turn.

But he then cut back in an attempt to get a run on Norris on the exit, only to collide with the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Collision

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

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers behind just being a bit reckless and we are the consequence of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I thought I was in the correct position on the inside, but some cars came very quickly from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the center."

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

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Fernando attack on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri steered inward and the collision was unavoidable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will review the crash with their racers but only after the race weekend. Both vehicles needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

Stella said: "In general displeased but we accept it, we are now focusing on fixing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the event from there."

"We are in a strong position from our performance point of view so I trust we have the possibility to compete, compete fairly and capitalise on our capabilities."

"Championship points are the key thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A bit more care would be beneficial for everyone."

Championship Implications

The race was taken by the Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and thirty-three behind of Norris.

The team boss said: "The consequence is what the maths says - we missed out on eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two skilled drivers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

Verstappen said he was taking the title race one event at a time.

United States Grand Prix

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

Real-time analysis on BBC Radio 5 Live, additional channels and extra coverage; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app