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McLaren F1 team executives Brown and Stella pointed to competitors for the crash between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the US GP sprint event.

The Australian driver, leading Norris in the standings by 22 points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The crash took both McLaren drivers from the event, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, told Sky Sports that some of the racing at the front was "inexperienced", stating: "Obviously Nico drove into Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

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

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience fail to act with justful prudence. Enter the first corner, make sure you don't damage competitors and continue."

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

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks 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 entry to the turn.

But he then cut back in an effort to get a run on Norris on the exit, only to hit the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Not ideal but I did not see what occurred, I tried 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 said: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us things happened and I just was unfortunate and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers further back just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

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

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth place, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and exit of Turn One but I cannot vanish."

"I had Fernando attack on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Piastri steered inward and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will analyze the crash with their racers but only after the event weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

The team principal 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 restart the weekend from there."

"We are in a competitive place from our competitiveness point of view so I trust we have the opportunity to race, race normally and utilize our capabilities."

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

Championship Implications

The race was taken by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and thirty-three behind of Norris.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers says - we missed out on eight points with both racers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two strong drivers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

Verstappen said he was approaching the championship race by race.

US GP

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

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