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McLaren Formula 1 executives Zak Brown and Stella pointed to competitors for the incident between Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

The Australian driver, ahead of his teammate in the standings by twenty-two points, bounced into his team-mate after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

The collision forced out both team drivers from the race, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the start was "amateur hour", remarking: "Obviously Hulkenberg drove into Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

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

"It is unexpected that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with appropriate caution. Enter the first corner, make sure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

McLaren clarified that Stella was referring to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for a sports broadcast, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough understanding of the dangers of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to overtake his teammate.

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

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on Norris on the way out, only to make contact with Hulkenberg.

Racer Comments After the Incident

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I haven't seen what occurred, I attempted to move inside on Lando and we were both very far from the corner apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Lando. Unfortunate."

His teammate commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us 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 drivers further back just being a bit careless and we are the consequence 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 outside switching back and then I was there in the middle."

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso attack on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri turned in and the collision was unavoidable."

Post-Crash 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 vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the weekend from there."

"We are in a strong position 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 caution. A bit 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 team racers in the standings - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and thirty-three adrift of Norris.

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

Verstappen said he was approaching the championship one event at a time.

United States Grand Prix

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

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