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McLaren F1 team executives Brown and Andrea Stella attributed opposing racers for the collision between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, ahead of his teammate in the standings by 22 points, crashed into his fellow McLaren driver after hitting Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both team drivers from the event, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, told broadcasters that some of the racing at the front was "amateur hour", stating: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Stella stated: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we didn't have the opportunity to compete."

"It is unexpected that some drivers with a lot of experience don't act with necessary care. Enter the initial turn, make sure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

The team suggested that the team principal was referring to both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, former champion Damon Hill, commentating for a sports broadcast, said he believed the Australian had not shown enough understanding of the risks of the opening turn of an F1 race when he chose to cut back to try to pass Norris.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the ascending 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 hit Hulkenberg.

Racer Comments After the Incident

The McLaren driver said: "Not ideal but I haven't seen what happened, I tried to move inside on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then were struck and it sent me into Norris. A shame."

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people further back just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I believed I was in the right place on the inside, but some vehicles came very quickly from the outside switching back and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso 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 analyze the incident with their racers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

Stella said: "In general disappointed but we accept it, we are now concentrating on repairing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

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

"Championship points are the key thing, I prefer not to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A bit more prudence would be good for all involved."

Championship Implications

The sprint event was won by Red Bull's Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and 33 behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers says - we missed out on eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two skilled racers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

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

US GP

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

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