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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Brown and Stella blamed opposing racers for the collision between Piastri and Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

Piastri, leading his teammate in the championship by 22 points, made contact with his team-mate after making contact with the Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident forced out both McLaren drivers from the event, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, told broadcasters that some of the racing at the start was "amateur hour", stating: "Clearly Hulkenberg drove into Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

The team team principal Andrea Stella added: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we were denied the possibility to race."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise don't act with appropriate caution. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage competitors and carry on."

The team indicated that Stella was mentioning both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed Piastri had not shown enough awareness 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 Norris and initially competed on the outside on the uphill entry 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: "Less than perfect but I did not see what occurred, I attempted to move inside on Lando and we were both quite distant from the corner apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Lando. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Behind us events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people behind just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the right place on the inner side, but some vehicles came very quickly from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the center."

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth place, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from yesterday in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar steered inward pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and exit of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Fernando challenge on the inner side and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri steered inward and the contact was inevitable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

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

Stella said: "In general displeased but we take it on the chin, we are now concentrating on fixing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the weekend from there."

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

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

Standings Impact

The race was taken by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who closed in on both McLaren drivers in the standings - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and 33 adrift of Norris.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths show - we lost eight championship points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable vehicle and two skilled drivers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

Verstappen said he was taking the championship race by race.

US GP

October 17-19, with main event from 20:00 BST on Sunday

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