🔗 Share this article

McLaren F1 team leaders Brown and Andrea Stella attributed competitors for the collision between Piastri and Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

Piastri, ahead of his teammate in the championship by twenty-two points, bounced into his team-mate after hitting the Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both team drivers out of the race, along with the Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

Brown, the team's CEO, commented to broadcasters that some of the driving at the start was "amateur hour", stating: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

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

"It is unexpected that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with justful prudence. Go to the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming other drivers and carry on."

McLaren indicated that the team principal was mentioning both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Hill, commentating for a sports broadcast, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he chose to cut back to try to pass his teammate.

Piastri had a better start than Norris and at first challenged on the outside on the ascending approach to the corner.

But he then cut back in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to hit Hulkenberg.

Racer Comments After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I haven't seen what happened, I attempted to cut back on Lando and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Lando. Unfortunate."

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back things happened and I just was unfortunate and got hit 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 inner side, but some cars came very quickly from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the center."

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from yesterday in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar turned in pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and way out of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to leave space for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was inevitable."

Post-Crash and Team Response

McLaren will review the crash with their racers but not until the race weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before grand prix qualifying at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

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

"We are in a strong position from our performance point of view so I trust we have the opportunity to compete, compete fairly and utilize our capabilities."

"Championship points are the most important thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A bit more prudence would be beneficial for all involved."

Standings Impact

The race was taken by the Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and 33 behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers show - we lost eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable vehicle and two skilled racers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

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

US GP

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

Real-time analysis on sports radio, Sports Extra and extra coverage; real-time updates on sports website and app