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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Stella pointed to opposing racers for the collision between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

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

The collision eliminated both team drivers out of the race, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the start was "inexperienced", remarking: "Obviously Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

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

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience don't act with appropriate caution. Go to the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming competitors and continue."

The team indicated that Stella was referring to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for a sports broadcast, said he thought Piastri had not demonstrated enough understanding of the risks of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to pass his teammate.

The Australian had a stronger launch than Norris and at first challenged on the outer side on the ascending approach to the corner.

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

Driver Reactions After the Collision

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I did not see what happened, I attempted to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Norris. A shame."

His teammate commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more carefully. It's more drivers further back just being a bit careless and we are the consequence of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I believed I was in the correct position on the inside, but some cars came very quickly from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the middle."

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

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

"I had Alonso attack on the inner side and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri turned in and the contact was unavoidable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will review the crash with their racers but only after the race weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

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

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

"The points are the most important thing, I prefer not to talk about bad intentions, just prudence. A little more care would be beneficial for everyone."

Standings Impact

The sprint event was won by the Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind the Australian and 33 behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the maths show - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two strong racers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

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

US GP

October 17-19, with main event from 8 PM BST on Sunday

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