🔗 Share this article

McLaren Formula 1 leaders Brown and Andrea Stella blamed competitors for the collision between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint event.

Piastri, ahead of Norris in the standings by 22 points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

The collision eliminated both team drivers from the race, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of Hulkenberg.

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the front was "unprofessional", stating: "Obviously Hulkenberg drove into Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

The team boss Stella added: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we were denied the chance to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of experience don't act with justful prudence. Go to the first corner, ensure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

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

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he thought the Australian had not demonstrated enough awareness of the dangers of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he decided to move inside to try to pass Norris.

The Australian had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the ascending approach to the corner.

But he then cut back in an effort to get a advantage on Norris on the way out, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

Piastri said: "Not ideal 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 got a hit and it sent me into Lando. A shame."

Norris said: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Behind us things happened and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people further back just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I thought I was in the correct position on the inside, but some cars came very fast from the outside changing direction and then I was there in the center."

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

"Piastri 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 was unable to see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri turned in and the collision was unavoidable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

The team will analyze the incident with their racers but not until the race weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "Overall displeased but we accept it, we are now focusing on repairing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

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

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

Championship Implications

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

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

The Red Bull driver said he was taking the title race one event at a time.

US GP

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

Real-time analysis on sports radio, Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; live text updates on sports website and app