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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Zak Brown and Stella attributed rival drivers for the crash between Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint event.

The Australian driver, ahead of Norris in the championship by 22 points, bounced into his fellow McLaren driver after colliding with Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

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

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the start was "unprofessional", remarking: "Clearly Nico hit Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

The team team principal Stella stated: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we were denied the chance to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of experience don't act with appropriate caution. Enter the first corner, make sure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

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

Differing Perspectives on the Incident

However, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not shown enough understanding of the risks of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to overtake his teammate.

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

However he then cut back in an attempt to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to collide with the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Collision

Piastri said: "Less than perfect but I haven't seen what happened, I tried to move inside on Norris and we were both quite distant from the corner apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Norris. A shame."

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us events unfolded and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more carefully. 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 outer side changing direction and then I was there in the middle."

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth place, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just messy."

"Oscar turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and way out of Turn One but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso attack on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Piastri turned in and the contact was unavoidable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

The team will review the crash with their drivers but only after the race weekend. Both vehicles needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 22:00 BST on Saturday.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed but we accept it, we are now focusing on fixing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the weekend from there."

"Our team holds a competitive place from our competitiveness point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to compete, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

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

Standings Impact

The sprint event was won by Red Bull's Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and thirty-three adrift of the Briton.

The team boss said: "The consequence is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight points with both drivers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two strong racers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

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

US GP

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

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