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McLaren F1 team executives Brown and Stella blamed competitors for the collision between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint event.

Piastri, ahead of his teammate in the championship by 22 points, crashed into his team-mate after colliding with the Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both team drivers from the event, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inside of Hulkenberg.

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, stated to broadcasters that some of the driving at the front was "unprofessional", adding: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

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

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

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

Differing Perspectives on the Incident

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he thought Piastri had not shown enough awareness of the dangers of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to cut back to try to pass Norris.

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

But he then moved inside in an effort to get a advantage on Norris on the way out, only to collide with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what happened, I tried to cut back on Lando and we were both very far 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. Behind us events unfolded and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I am unsure. I need to review 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 thought I was in the correct position on the inner side, but some vehicles came very fast from the outside switching back and then I was there in the center."

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

"Piastri steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Piastri turned in and the collision was unavoidable."

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 qualifying session at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

Stella said: "Overall displeased but we accept it, we are now focusing 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 trust we have the opportunity to race, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

"The points are the key 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 sprint event was won by the Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and thirty-three adrift of Norris.

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

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

US GP

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

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