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McLaren Formula 1 executives Zak Brown and Andrea Stella attributed competitors for the collision between Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint race.

The Australian driver, ahead of Norris in the championship by 22 points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after hitting Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident took both McLaren drivers from the race, along with the Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Incident

Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, told Sky Sports that some of the racing at the start was "amateur hour", stating: "Obviously Nico drove into Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

The team boss Andrea Stella stated: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we were denied the possibility to compete."

"It is unexpected that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with appropriate caution. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

McLaren indicated that the team principal was pointing to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not demonstrated enough understanding of the risks of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to cut back to try to overtake his teammate.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the ascending entry to the corner.

However he then cut back in an effort to get a advantage on Norris on the exit, only to make contact with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

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

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 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 result of that."

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

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the good work from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and way out of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

"I had Fernando attack on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar turned in and the contact was unavoidable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

The team will analyze the crash with their drivers but not until the event weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

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

"We are in a competitive place from our competitiveness point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to compete, compete fairly and utilize our capabilities."

"The points are the most important thing, I don't want to talk about mal-intent, just caution. A little more prudence would be beneficial for all involved."

Championship Implications

The race was won by the Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the standings - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and thirty-three behind of the Briton.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths says - we lost eight points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two skilled drivers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

The Red Bull driver said he was approaching the championship race by race.

US GP

17-19 October, with race from 8 PM BST on the final day

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