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McLaren F1 team executives Brown and Stella blamed competitors for the crash between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

The Australian driver, ahead of his teammate in the standings by 22 points, crashed into his fellow McLaren driver after hitting Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both McLaren drivers from the event, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, told broadcasters that some of the driving at the front was "amateur hour", stating: "Obviously Nico drove into Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Stella stated: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed 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. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage other drivers and continue."

McLaren suggested that the team principal was referring to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough understanding of the risks of the opening turn of an F1 race when he decided to cut back to try to pass his teammate.

Piastri had a better start than the Briton and initially competed on the outer side on the uphill entry to the turn.

But he then moved inside in an effort to get a run on Norris on the way out, only to hit Hulkenberg.

Racer Comments After the Incident

Piastri said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what occurred, I tried to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the corner apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Lando. Unfortunate."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. 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 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 vehicles came very quickly from the outside changing direction and then I was there in the center."

Hulkenberg, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the good work from yesterday in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Piastri steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the undercut and way out of Turn One but I cannot vanish."

"I had Fernando attack 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 contact was unavoidable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will review the crash with their drivers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

Stella said: "Overall displeased but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on fixing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume 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 capitalise on our performance."

"The points are the most important thing, I prefer not to talk about mal-intent, just caution. A little more prudence would be beneficial for all involved."

Standings Impact

The race was taken by the Verstappen, who closed in on both McLaren drivers in the standings - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and thirty-three adrift of Norris.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two skilled racers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

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

US GP

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

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