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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Stella blamed rival drivers for the incident between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

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

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

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, the team's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the start was "amateur hour", remarking: "Obviously Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

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

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with necessary care. Enter the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming competitors and carry on."

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

Contrasting Views on the Incident

Nevertheless, former champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not demonstrated enough understanding of the risks of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to cut back to try to pass Norris.

The Australian had a stronger launch than the Briton and at first challenged on the outside on the ascending approach to the turn.

However he then moved inside in an effort to get a run on Norris on the exit, only to make contact with Hulkenberg.

Racer Comments After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what happened, I tried to move inside on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Lando. A shame."

His teammate commented: "I just was struck, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers behind just being a bit careless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I thought I was in the right place on the inner side, but some vehicles came very fast from the outside switching back and then I was there in the center."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from yesterday in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and way out of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

"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

McLaren will analyze the incident with their drivers but only after the event weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

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

"Our team holds a competitive place from our performance point of view so I trust we have the possibility to race, race normally and utilize our performance."

"Championship points are the key thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just prudence. A bit more prudence 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 the Australian and 33 behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers show - we lost eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two skilled drivers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

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

US GP

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

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