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McLaren F1 team bosses Zak Brown and Stella attributed opposing racers for the incident between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

The Australian driver, leading Norris in the championship by 22 points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both McLaren drivers out of the race, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Crash

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, commented to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the front was "amateur hour", adding: "Clearly Hulkenberg hit Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

The team team principal Andrea Stella commented: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed that we didn't have the opportunity to race."

"It is unexpected that some drivers with a lot of expertise don't act with necessary care. Go to the first corner, make sure you don't damage competitors and continue."

McLaren suggested that Stella was referring to both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the dangers of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to overtake Norris.

Piastri had a better start than the Briton and at first challenged on the outside on the ascending approach to the corner.

However he then cut back in an effort to get a advantage on Norris on the exit, only to hit Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

Piastri said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what occurred, I tried to move inside on Lando and we were both very far from the corner apex and then got a hit and it propelled me into Lando. Unfortunate."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Behind us events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more carefully. It's more people further back just being a bit careless 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 fast from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the center."

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from the previous day in the trash. Just messy."

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

"I had Alonso challenge 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 inevitable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will review the crash with their drivers but only after the race weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed but we accept it, we are now concentrating on fixing 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 trust we have the opportunity to compete, race normally and utilize our capabilities."

"Championship points are the key thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just prudence. A bit more care would be beneficial for all involved."

Standings Impact

The race was taken by the Max Verstappen, who closed in on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and 33 adrift of Norris.

The team boss said: "The consequence is what the maths says - we lost eight points with both drivers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two strong drivers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

The Red Bull driver said he was taking the championship one event at a time.

US GP

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

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