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McLaren F1 team leaders Brown and Andrea Stella pointed to competitors for the incident between Piastri and Norris at the start of the US GP sprint event.

Piastri, leading his teammate in the standings by 22 points, bounced into his team-mate after colliding with Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident forced out both McLaren drivers out of the event, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, commented to broadcasters that some of the driving at the start was "unprofessional", adding: "Clearly Hulkenberg drove into Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

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

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with appropriate caution. Enter the first corner, ensure you avoid harming other drivers and continue."

McLaren indicated that Stella was pointing to both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not shown enough awareness of the dangers of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he decided to move inside to try to overtake Norris.

Piastri had a better start than Norris and initially challenged on the outside on the ascending approach to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an effort to get a run on his teammate on the exit, only to make contact with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I did not see what happened, I tried to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the corner apex and then were struck and it sent me into Lando. Unfortunate."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back events unfolded and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more carefully. It's more drivers further back 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 right place 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 earned a season-best fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just messy."

"Piastri steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and exit of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Fernando challenge on the inner side and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to leave space for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was unavoidable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

The team will analyze the incident with their racers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on Saturday.

Stella said: "In general displeased but we take it on the chin, we are now concentrating on repairing the cars, 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 performance."

"The points are the key thing, I prefer not to talk about bad intentions, just caution. A little more care would be beneficial for all involved."

Standings Impact

The race was won by the Max Verstappen, who closed in on both McLaren drivers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and thirty-three behind of the Briton.

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

Verstappen said he was taking the title race one event at a time.

United States Grand Prix

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

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