🔗 Share this article

McLaren F1 team executives Brown and Stella attributed opposing racers for the incident between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

The Australian driver, leading his teammate in the standings by twenty-two points, bounced into his team-mate after hitting the Hulkenberg.

The incident took both team drivers out of the race, along with the Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, told Sky Sports that some of the driving at the front was "unprofessional", remarking: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

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

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with justful prudence. Go to the initial turn, make sure you don't damage other drivers and continue."

McLaren suggested that Stella was pointing to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

However, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not shown enough understanding of the dangers of the opening turn of an F1 race when he decided to move inside to try to overtake his teammate.

The Australian had a stronger launch than the Briton and initially challenged on the outer side on the ascending approach to the corner.

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

Driver Reactions After the Incident

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I did not see what happened, I attempted to cut back on Norris and we were both quite distant from the corner apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Lando. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Behind us events unfolded 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 consequence of that."

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

Hulkenberg, who had earned a season-best fourth, said: "Big frustrations. All the good work from yesterday in the bin. Just messy."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and exit of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

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

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will analyze the incident with their drivers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed 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 resume the weekend from there."

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

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

Championship Implications

The sprint event was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and thirty-three adrift of the Briton.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the numbers says - we lost eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable vehicle and two strong racers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

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

United States Grand Prix

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

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, additional channels and extra coverage; real-time updates on BBC Sport website and mobile application