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McLaren Formula 1 executives Brown and Andrea Stella blamed rival drivers for the collision between Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

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

The collision forced out both team drivers from the race, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Incident

Brown, the team's CEO, stated to broadcasters that some of the driving at the start was "amateur hour", stating: "Obviously Hulkenberg hit Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

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

"It is unexpected that some drivers with a lot of expertise don't act with appropriate caution. Go to the first corner, ensure you avoid harming competitors and carry on."

McLaren clarified that the team principal was pointing to both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, commentating 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 challenged on the outer side on the uphill entry to the corner.

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

Driver Reactions After the Collision

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

His teammate said: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Behind us events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people behind just being a bit reckless and we are the consequence of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the correct position on the inner side, but some cars came very fast from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the center."

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just chaotic."

"Piastri steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Fernando challenge on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was inevitable."

Post-Crash and Team Response

McLaren will analyze the incident with their racers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

The team principal said: "Overall displeased but we accept it, we are now concentrating on repairing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

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

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

Championship Implications

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

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

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

US GP

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

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