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McLaren F1 team bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella pointed to rival drivers for the crash between Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint event.

The Australian driver, leading his teammate in the championship by 22 points, crashed into his team-mate after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

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

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, commented to broadcasters that some of the driving at the start was "unprofessional", adding: "Clearly Nico hit Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella added: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we were denied the possibility to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of experience fail to act with justful prudence. Go to the initial turn, make sure you avoid harming other drivers and carry on."

McLaren suggested that the team principal was mentioning both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Incident

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he believed the Australian had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to cut back to try to pass his teammate.

Piastri had a stronger launch than the Briton and at first competed on the outer side on the ascending entry to the turn.

However he then moved inside in an effort to get a run on his teammate on the exit, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions 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 sent me into Lando. Unfortunate."

Norris commented: "I just was struck, 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 drivers further back just being a bit reckless and we are the consequence of that."

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

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from the previous day in the trash. Just chaotic."

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

"I had Alonso attack on the inner side and I was unable to see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and Team Response

The team will analyze the incident with their racers but only after the race weekend. Both vehicles needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

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

"We are in a strong position from our competitiveness point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to race, compete fairly and capitalise on our capabilities."

"The points are the key thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A bit more care would be beneficial for everyone."

Championship Implications

The race was won by Red Bull's Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and 33 behind of Norris.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight points with both racers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two strong racers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

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

US GP

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

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