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

The Australian driver, leading his teammate in the standings by twenty-two points, bounced into his team-mate after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both team drivers from the event, along with the Fernando Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, stated to broadcasters that some of the racing at the start was "amateur hour", adding: "Obviously Nico made contact with Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella commented: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we didn't have the possibility to race."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of experience don't act with necessary care. Enter the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming other drivers and carry on."

The team clarified that Stella was mentioning both the Sauber driver and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, former champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed the Australian had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to cut back to try to overtake his teammate.

The Australian had a better start than the Briton and initially challenged on the outside on the ascending approach to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to hit the Sauber driver.

Racer Comments After the Incident

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

His teammate said: "I just was struck, right? I did nothing wrong. Behind us things happened and I just was unfortunate and got hit 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 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 inside, but some cars came very quickly from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the middle."

Hulkenberg, who had earned a season-best fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from yesterday in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the inside line and exit of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

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

Post-Crash and Team Response

McLaren will review the crash with their drivers but not until the event weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before grand prix qualifying at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now focusing on fixing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will restart the weekend from there."

"We are in a competitive place from our performance point of view so I trust we have the opportunity to compete, compete fairly and capitalise on our capabilities."

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

Championship Implications

The race was taken by Red Bull's Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and 33 behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers show - we lost eight points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two skilled racers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

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

United States Grand Prix

October 17-19, with main event from 20:00 BST on Sunday

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, additional channels and extra coverage; live text updates on sports website and app