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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Stella attributed rival drivers for the collision between Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint event.

The Australian driver, ahead of his teammate in the standings by 22 points, crashed into his team-mate after making contact with the Nico Hulkenberg.

The crash took both McLaren drivers out of the event, along with the Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, stated to broadcasters that some of the driving at the front was "inexperienced", adding: "Obviously Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

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

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

McLaren clarified that the team principal was referring to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

However, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to pass Norris.

The Australian had a better start than the Briton and initially competed on the outside on the ascending entry to the corner.

However he then cut back in an effort to get a run on his teammate on the exit, only to hit the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what happened, I tried to move inside on Norris and we were both very far from the corner apex and then were struck and it propelled me into Norris. Unfortunate."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more carefully. It's more people 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 inside, but some cars came very fast from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the center."

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

"Oscar steered inward pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to leave space for him and then Piastri turned in and the contact was inevitable."

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will analyze the incident with their drivers but not until the race weekend. Both vehicles needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

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

"We are in a strong position from our performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to compete, race normally and utilize our performance."

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

Standings Impact

The sprint event was taken by the Max Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the standings - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and thirty-three behind of Norris.

The team boss said: "The consequence is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable vehicle and two strong drivers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

The Red Bull driver said he was taking the title race race by race.

US GP

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

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