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McLaren Formula 1 executives Zak Brown and Stella attributed competitors for the incident between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

Piastri, ahead of his teammate in the championship by twenty-two points, bounced into his team-mate after making contact with Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

The crash eliminated both team drivers out of the event, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inside of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Incident

Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, told Sky Sports that some of the driving at the front was "unprofessional", adding: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Stella added: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we were denied the opportunity to race."

"It is unexpected that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with necessary care. Enter the initial turn, make sure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

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

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to move inside to try to overtake his teammate.

The Australian had a better start than the Briton and at first challenged on the outer side on the uphill approach to the turn.

But he then moved inside in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to collide with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I did not see what occurred, I attempted to cut back on Lando and we were both quite distant from the apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Norris. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just was struck, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back things happened and I just was unfortunate and was struck because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more people further back just being a bit careless and we are the result of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I thought I was in the right place on the inner side, but some vehicles came very quickly from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the center."

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth place, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from the previous day in the bin. Just messy."

"Piastri steered inward pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and way out of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inner side and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to provide room for him and then Piastri steered inward and the contact was inevitable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

The team will analyze the incident with their racers but only after the race weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before grand prix qualifying at 22:00 BST on Saturday.

Stella said: "In general disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on fixing the vehicles, 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 hope we have the possibility to race, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

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

Standings Impact

The sprint event was taken 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 thirty-three behind of the Briton.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths says - we missed out on eight points with both racers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two strong racers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

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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