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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella pointed to opposing racers for the crash between Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, leading Norris in the championship by 22 points, made contact with his team-mate after colliding with the Hulkenberg.

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

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the front was "inexperienced", remarking: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

The team team principal Andrea Stella added: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we didn't have the chance to race."

"It is unexpected that some drivers with a lot of experience don't act with justful prudence. Enter the first corner, make sure you don't damage competitors and carry on."

McLaren indicated that the team principal was mentioning both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not shown enough awareness of the risks of the opening turn of an F1 race when he chose to move inside to try to pass Norris.

Piastri had a stronger launch 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 Norris on the way out, only to hit the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what occurred, I tried to cut back on Lando and we were both very far from the corner apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Norris. A shame."

His teammate commented: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Further back events unfolded and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers behind just being a bit careless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the correct position on the inside, but some cars came very fast from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just chaotic."

"Oscar turned in pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and way out of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

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

Aftermath and Team Response

The team will review the crash with their racers but not until the race weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

Stella said: "Overall displeased but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on repairing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the event from there."

"Our team holds a strong position from our performance point of view so I trust we have the possibility to compete, race normally and capitalise on our performance."

"Championship points are the most important thing, I prefer not to talk about mal-intent, just prudence. A little more prudence would be beneficial for all involved."

Standings Impact

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

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths says - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two strong drivers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

The Red Bull driver said he was taking the championship one event at a time.

US GP

17-19 October, with race from 8 PM BST on the final day

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