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

The Australian driver, ahead of Norris in the standings by 22 points, bounced into his fellow McLaren driver after hitting the Hulkenberg.

The crash forced out both McLaren drivers from the race, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, commented to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the front was "amateur hour", stating: "Obviously Nico made contact with Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

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

"It is unexpected that some drivers with a lot of experience fail to act with justful prudence. Go to the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming competitors and carry on."

McLaren indicated that Stella was referring to both Hulkenberg and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed the Australian had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the opening turn of an F1 race when he decided to cut back to try to pass Norris.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the ascending entry to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a run on Norris on the way out, only to collide with the Sauber driver.

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 were struck and it propelled me into Lando. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Behind us events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more carefully. It's more drivers behind just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I believed 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."

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

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

"I had Alonso attack on the inner side and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar steered inward and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and Team Response

The team will review the crash with their drivers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

Stella said: "Overall displeased but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on repairing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the weekend from there."

"Our team holds a strong position from our performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to compete, compete fairly and capitalise on our performance."

"The points are the most important thing, I prefer not to talk about mal-intent, just caution. A bit more care would be beneficial for all involved."

Standings Impact

The sprint event was taken by the Max Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers 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 points with both drivers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two strong racers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

The Red Bull driver said he was approaching 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

Live commentary on sports radio, additional channels and Sports Extra 2; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app