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McLaren F1 team executives Brown and Andrea Stella attributed opposing racers for the crash between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, leading Norris in the standings by 22 points, bounced into his fellow McLaren driver after hitting Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The collision forced out both McLaren drivers from the race, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, the team's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the start was "unprofessional", stating: "Obviously Hulkenberg hit Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Stella stated: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed that we didn't have the chance to compete."

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

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

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not shown enough awareness of the risks of the opening turn of an F1 race when he chose to cut back to try to overtake Norris.

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

But he then cut back 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

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I did not see what occurred, I attempted to move inside on Lando and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Norris. Unfortunate."

His teammate commented: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back events unfolded and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people behind just being a bit careless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I thought I was in the correct position 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: "Big frustrations. 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 Turn One but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to leave space 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 racers but only after the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on Saturday.

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

"We are in a competitive place from our performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to race, compete fairly and utilize our capabilities."

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

Standings Impact

The race was taken by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who closed in on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and 33 behind of Norris.

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

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

US GP

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

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