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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella attributed rival drivers for the incident between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

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

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

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Crash

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

The team boss Stella added: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we didn't have the opportunity to compete."

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience don't act with necessary care. Go to the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

The team suggested that Stella was mentioning both Hulkenberg and the Aston Martin driver.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not shown enough awareness of the dangers of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to overtake Norris.

The Australian had a stronger launch than Norris and at first challenged on the outside on the uphill entry to the corner.

But he then moved inside in an attempt to get a run on Norris on the way out, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Incident

Piastri said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what happened, I tried to move inside on Lando and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Lando. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us things happened and I just got unlucky and was struck 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."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I believed I was in the right place on the inner side, but some vehicles came very fast from the outside changing direction and then I was there in the middle."

Hulkenberg, who had earned a best qualifying fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from the previous day in the trash. Just messy."

"Oscar turned in pretty aggressively trying to get the undercut and way out of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Fernando challenge on the inner side and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Piastri steered inward and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

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

The team principal said: "In general displeased but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on fixing 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 competitiveness point of view so I trust we have the opportunity to race, compete fairly and capitalise on our capabilities."

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

Championship Implications

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

The team boss said: "The consequence is what the maths show - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two strong racers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

The Red Bull driver 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 the final day

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