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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Brown and Stella attributed opposing racers for the collision between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

The Australian driver, ahead of his teammate in the standings by 22 points, bounced into his team-mate after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

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

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, commented to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the start was "unprofessional", remarking: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no reason being where he was."

McLaren F1 team principal Stella added: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we were denied the chance to race."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise don't act with appropriate caution. Go to the initial turn, make sure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

McLaren suggested that the team principal was referring to both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

However, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed the Australian had not demonstrated enough understanding of the dangers of the first corner of an Formula 1 event when he decided to cut back to try to overtake his teammate.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and at first competed on the outside on the uphill approach to the corner.

But he then moved inside in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the exit, only to hit Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

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

His teammate commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more carefully. It's more drivers further back just being a bit careless and we are the consequence of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the correct position on the inside, 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, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just messy."

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

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

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will analyze the crash with their racers 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 accept it, we are now focusing on repairing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

"Our team holds a competitive place from our performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to race, race normally and utilize our capabilities."

"Championship points are the key thing, I prefer not to talk about mal-intent, just prudence. A little more care would be good for all involved."

Championship Implications

The sprint event was taken by the 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 Norris.

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

The Red Bull driver said he was taking the championship 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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