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McLaren F1 team bosses Brown and Stella attributed opposing racers for the collision between Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

Piastri, leading his teammate in the championship by twenty-two points, crashed into his team-mate after making contact with Sauber's Hulkenberg.

The collision took both McLaren drivers from the event, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of the Sauber driver.

McLaren Leaders Voice Frustration Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, stated to broadcasters that some of the racing at the front was "amateur hour", stating: "Obviously Nico hit Oscar and he had no business being where he was."

The team boss Stella added: "The reaction 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 justful prudence. Go to the initial turn, ensure you don't damage competitors and continue."

The team indicated that Stella was referring to both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed the Australian had not shown enough awareness of the risks of the opening turn of an F1 race when he chose to cut back to try to pass his teammate.

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

But he then cut back in an effort to get a advantage on his teammate on the way out, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Incident

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

Norris said: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I am unsure. 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 correct position on the inside, but some vehicles came very quickly from the outside switching back and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from yesterday in the trash. Just chaotic."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully trying to get the undercut and exit of Turn One but I can't just disappear."

"I had Fernando attack on the inside and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Piastri steered inward and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and Team Response

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

The team principal said: "Overall 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 resume the event from there."

"Our team holds a strong position from our performance point of view so I trust we have the possibility to race, race normally and utilize our performance."

"Championship 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."

Standings Impact

The sprint event was taken by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who closed in on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind the Australian and thirty-three adrift of Norris.

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

The Red Bull driver said he was approaching the championship race by race.

United States Grand Prix

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

Real-time analysis on BBC Radio 5 Live, additional channels and Sports Extra 2; real-time updates on BBC Sport website and mobile application