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McLaren Formula 1 leaders Zak Brown and Andrea Stella attributed competitors for the incident between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the start of the United States Grand Prix sprint event.

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

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

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, commented to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the front was "unprofessional", adding: "Obviously Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

The team team principal Andrea Stella stated: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed that we were denied the possibility to compete."

"It's surprising that some drivers with a lot of expertise don't act with appropriate caution. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

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

Differing Perspectives on the Incident

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the dangers of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to cut back to try to overtake his teammate.

The Australian had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the uphill approach to the corner.

However he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on Norris on the way out, only to make contact with 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 Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit and it sent me into Norris. Unfortunate."

His teammate commented: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Behind us events unfolded and I just got unlucky and was struck because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more carefully. It's more drivers behind 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 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."

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

"Piastri steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and way out of the first corner but I cannot vanish."

"I had Alonso attack on the inside and I couldn't see him any more. I wanted to leave space for him and then Oscar steered inward and the collision was inevitable."

Aftermath and Team Response

The team will analyze the crash with their drivers but not until the race weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before grand prix qualifying at 22:00 BST on the weekend.

Stella said: "Overall disappointed but we take it on the chin, we are now concentrating on fixing 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 performance point of view so I hope we have the possibility to compete, compete fairly and utilize our capabilities."

"Championship points are the most important thing, I don't want to talk about mal-intent, just prudence. A bit more prudence would be good for everyone."

Championship Implications

The race was taken by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the championship - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and thirty-three behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight points with both drivers, but we focus on ourselves. We have a highly capable vehicle and two strong racers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

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

United States Grand Prix

October 17-19, with race from 20:00 BST on the final day

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