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McLaren Formula 1 executives Zak Brown and Stella pointed to rival drivers for the collision between Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint event.

Piastri, ahead of Norris in the championship by twenty-two points, made contact with his fellow McLaren driver after hitting Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The crash eliminated both McLaren drivers from the event, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, commented to broadcasters that some of the racing at the front was "unprofessional", stating: "Obviously Nico drove into Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 team principal Stella added: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we didn't have the possibility to compete."

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience fail to act with necessary care. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage other drivers and continue."

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

Contrasting Views on the Incident

However, former champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not demonstrated enough understanding of the dangers of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he decided to move inside to try to overtake Norris.

The Australian had a better start than the Briton and at first competed on the outer side on the ascending approach to the corner.

However he then cut back in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to hit Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I haven't seen what occurred, I tried to cut back on Norris and we were both quite distant from the apex and then were struck and it propelled me into Lando. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back things happened and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I don't know. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers further back just being a bit careless and we are the result of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I thought I was in the right place on the inner side, but some cars came very quickly from the outside changing direction and then I was there in the center."

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

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and way out of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso challenge on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to leave space for him and then Piastri steered inward and the contact was unavoidable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

The team will analyze the crash with their drivers but only after the race weekend. Both vehicles needed significant repairs before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

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

"Our team holds a strong position from our competitiveness point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to compete, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

"The points are the key thing, I don't want to talk about bad intentions, just prudence. A little more care would be beneficial for everyone."

Standings Impact

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

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

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

United States Grand Prix

October 17-19, with main event from 8 PM BST on the final day

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; live text updates on sports website and app