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McLaren Formula 1 leaders Zak Brown and Andrea Stella attributed rival drivers for the collision between Oscar 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 twenty-two points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with the Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both team drivers from the event, along with the Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Incident

Brown, the team's chief executive officer, told broadcasters that some of the driving at the front was "inexperienced", stating: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

The team boss Andrea Stella commented: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we didn't have the chance to compete."

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of expertise don't act with necessary care. Go to the initial turn, make sure you avoid harming other drivers and carry on."

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

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

However, former champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed 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 pass his teammate.

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

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a run on his teammate on the exit, only to hit the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

The McLaren driver 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 corner apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Lando. Unfortunate."

His teammate said: "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 am unsure. I need to review a bit more carefully. It's more people further back just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I thought I was in the correct position on the inside, but some vehicles came very quickly from the outside switching back and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a best qualifying fourth, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just messy."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and exit of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inner side and I was unable to see him any more. I aimed to provide room for him and then Piastri turned in and the collision was inevitable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will analyze the incident with their drivers but only after the race weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

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

"Our team holds a strong position from our competitiveness point of view so I trust we have the possibility to compete, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

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

Standings Impact

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

Stella said: "The implication is what the maths show - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two strong drivers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

The Red Bull driver said he was taking the title race one event at a time.

United States Grand Prix

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

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