🔗 Share this article

McLaren F1 team executives Zak Brown and Stella attributed rival drivers for the crash between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

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 McLaren drivers from the race, along with the Alonso, who was on the inside 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 "amateur hour", adding: "Obviously Nico hit Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

The team boss Stella commented: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed that we were denied the opportunity to compete."

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience fail to act with appropriate caution. Go to the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

The team indicated that Stella was pointing to both Hulkenberg and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for a sports broadcast, said he believed Piastri had not shown enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he chose to move inside to try to pass his teammate.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and at first competed on the outer side on the uphill entry to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to hit 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 quite distant from the apex and then were struck and it sent me into Lando. A shame."

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

Alonso said: "At one point I thought I was in the right place on the inside, but some cars came very fast from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the good work from the previous day in the trash. Just messy."

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

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

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will analyze the crash with their racers but only after the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "Overall disappointed but we accept it, we are now concentrating on fixing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the event from there."

"Our team holds a competitive place from our performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to race, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

"Championship points are the most important thing, I prefer not to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A bit more care would be good for everyone."

Championship Implications

The sprint event was taken by Red Bull's Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and 33 adrift of the Briton.

Stella said: "The implication is what the maths show - we lost eight championship points with both drivers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two strong racers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

Verstappen said he was approaching the championship one event at a time.

US GP

17-19 October, with race from 20:00 BST on the final day

Live commentary on sports radio, Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; real-time updates on sports website and mobile application