McLaren Blames Rival Drivers for Team-Mate Crash

McLaren F1 team executives Zak Brown and Stella pointed to competitors for the crash between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

The Australian driver, leading his teammate in the standings by twenty-two points, bounced into his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

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

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the front was "inexperienced", stating: "Clearly Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

The team boss Stella commented: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we didn't have the opportunity to compete."

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

The team suggested that Stella was mentioning both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, former champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not demonstrated enough understanding of the risks of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he decided to move inside to try to pass his teammate.

Piastri had a better start than Norris and at first challenged on the outer side on the ascending entry to the corner.

But he then cut back in an attempt to get a advantage on Norris on the exit, only to collide with the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I haven't seen what happened, I attempted to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Norris. Unfortunate."

His teammate said: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. 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 behind just being a bit reckless and we are the consequence of that."

The Aston Martin driver 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 middle."

Hulkenberg, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and exit of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

"I had Fernando challenge on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I aimed to provide room for him and then Oscar turned in and the contact was inevitable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will analyze the crash with their racers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

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

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

"Championship 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."

Championship Implications

The sprint event was won by the Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and 33 behind of Norris.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths show - we lost eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two skilled drivers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

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

United States Grand Prix

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

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