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McLaren F1 team leaders Brown and Andrea Stella pointed to rival drivers for the incident between Piastri and Lando Norris at the start of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, leading his teammate in the championship by 22 points, made contact with his team-mate after making contact with Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The incident forced out both McLaren drivers out of the race, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, told Sky Sports that some of the racing at the start was "inexperienced", adding: "Clearly Hulkenberg drove into Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 team principal Stella stated: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we didn't have the possibility to race."

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

The team clarified that the team principal was pointing to both the Sauber driver and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for a sports broadcast, said he believed the Australian had not shown enough understanding of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to cut back to try to pass his teammate.

The Australian had a stronger launch than the Briton and initially competed on the outside on the ascending approach to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on Norris on the exit, only to collide with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

Piastri said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what occurred, I tried to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then were struck and it sent me into Norris. A shame."

His teammate commented: "I just was struck, right? I did nothing wrong. Further back things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers behind just being a bit careless and we are the consequence of that."

Alonso 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 switching back and then I was there in the middle."

Hulkenberg, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the good work from yesterday in the trash. Just messy."

"Oscar turned in pretty aggressively trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

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

Aftermath and Team Response

The team will analyze the crash with their drivers but not until the event weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed but we accept it, we are now focusing on fixing the cars, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

"We are in a competitive place from our performance point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to race, race normally and utilize our capabilities."

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

Championship Implications

The sprint event was taken by the Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the standings - he is now fifty-five points behind the Australian and thirty-three adrift of the Briton.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the numbers says - we lost eight championship points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two strong racers. We anticipate just some normal racing."

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

United States Grand Prix

October 17-19, with main event from 8 PM BST on Sunday

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, additional channels and Sports Extra 2; real-time updates on BBC Sport website and app