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McLaren Formula 1 executives Zak Brown and Stella attributed opposing racers for the crash between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, ahead of Norris in the standings by 22 points, made contact with his team-mate after making contact with the Nico Hulkenberg.

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

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, commented to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the front was "amateur hour", stating: "Obviously Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

The team team principal Andrea Stella stated: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we didn't have the opportunity to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of experience don't act with necessary care. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage competitors and carry on."

The team suggested that the team principal was referring to both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Incident

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he thought Piastri had not shown enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to move inside to try to pass his teammate.

The Australian had a better start than the Briton and initially challenged on the outside on the ascending entry to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I haven't seen what happened, I attempted to move inside on Lando and we were both quite distant from the apex and then were struck and it propelled me into Norris. Unfortunate."

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

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

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

"Oscar steered inward pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and exit of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri turned in and the collision was unavoidable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

The team will review the incident with their racers but not until the race weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "Overall disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now concentrating on fixing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the weekend from there."

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

"The points are the key thing, I don't want to talk about mal-intent, just prudence. A little more care would be beneficial for all involved."

Championship Implications

The race was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and 33 behind of Norris.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the numbers says - we missed out on eight points with both drivers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable vehicle and two strong racers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

Verstappen said he was taking the title race race by race.

US GP

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

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