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McLaren F1 team leaders Brown and Andrea Stella blamed opposing racers for the crash between Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

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

The crash forced out both McLaren drivers out of the race, along with Aston Martin's Alonso, who was on the inside of the Sauber driver.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Zak Brown, the team's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the driving at the start was "unprofessional", remarking: "Clearly Hulkenberg drove into Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

The team team principal Stella commented: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we were denied the possibility to race."

"It is unexpected that some racers with a lot of experience fail to act with appropriate caution. Enter the initial turn, ensure you avoid harming competitors and continue."

The team clarified that Stella was pointing to both Hulkenberg and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not demonstrated enough awareness of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to move inside to try to pass Norris.

Piastri had a stronger launch than the Briton and initially competed on the outer side on the uphill entry to the turn.

But he then moved inside in an effort to get a run on Norris on the exit, only to collide with Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Not ideal but I did not see what occurred, I attempted 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."

Norris commented: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Further back events unfolded and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers behind just being a bit reckless and we are the consequence of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I believed I was in the correct position on the inner side, but some vehicles came very fast from the outer side changing direction and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had qualified a best qualifying fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the good work from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Oscar 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 attack 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 collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and McLaren's Reaction

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

Stella said: "Overall displeased but we accept it, we are now concentrating on fixing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the weekend from there."

"Our team holds a strong position from our competitiveness point of view so I trust we have the opportunity to compete, compete fairly and capitalise on our performance."

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

Championship Implications

The race was won by the Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind the Australian and 33 adrift of the Briton.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths show - we missed out on eight championship points with both racers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a very competitive vehicle and two skilled drivers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

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

United States Grand Prix

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

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