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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella attributed competitors for the crash between Piastri and Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

Piastri, leading Norris in the standings by 22 points, bounced into his team-mate after making contact with Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The incident took both team drivers from the event, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Incident

Brown, the team's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the start was "inexperienced", stating: "Clearly Hulkenberg hit Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella commented: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we were denied the chance to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with appropriate caution. Enter the initial turn, make sure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

McLaren clarified that the team principal was referring to both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not shown enough understanding of the dangers of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he decided to cut back to try to overtake Norris.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and at first challenged on the outside on the uphill approach to the corner.

However he then cut back in an attempt to get a run on Norris on the way out, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Incident

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

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people further back just being a bit careless and we are the consequence of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed 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."

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

"Oscar steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and way out of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso attack on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to provide room for him and then Oscar steered inward and the contact was inevitable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

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: "In general disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on repairing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the event from there."

"We are in a strong position from our performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to compete, race normally and utilize our performance."

"Championship points are the most important thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A little more care would be good for everyone."

Championship Implications

The race was won by the Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind the Australian and thirty-three adrift of Norris.

The team boss said: "The consequence is what the numbers says - we lost eight points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two skilled drivers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

Verstappen said he was taking the title race one event at a time.

US GP

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

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