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McLaren F1 team bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella attributed opposing racers for the incident between Piastri and Lando Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint event.

The Australian driver, ahead of Norris in the championship by 22 points, crashed into his team-mate after colliding with the Hulkenberg.

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

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Incident

Zak Brown, the team's CEO, told Sky Sports that some of the racing at the start was "unprofessional", stating: "Clearly Nico drove into Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella commented: "The reaction is that we are disappointed that we were denied the possibility to race."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise don't act with necessary care. Go to the initial turn, make sure you don't damage other drivers and continue."

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

Contrasting Views on the Incident

However, former champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought the Australian had not shown enough awareness of the risks of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he chose to move inside to try to pass Norris.

The Australian had a better start than Norris and initially competed on the outside on the ascending entry to the turn.

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

Racer Comments After the Incident

Piastri said: "Not ideal but I did not see what occurred, I attempted to move inside on Lando and we were both quite distant from the corner apex and then were struck and it propelled me into Lando. A shame."

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Behind us events unfolded and I just was unfortunate and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to look a bit more thoroughly. It's more people further back 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 inside, but some vehicles came very fast from the outside switching back and then I was there in the middle."

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

"Oscar steered inward pretty aggressively trying to get the inside line and way out of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Alonso attack on the inner side and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar turned in and the collision was unavoidable."

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will review the incident with their drivers but only after the race weekend. Both cars needed significant repairs before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on the weekend.

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

"Our team holds a competitive place from our performance point of view so I trust we have the possibility to compete, compete fairly and capitalise on our performance."

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

Standings Impact

The race was taken by Red Bull's Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind Piastri and 33 adrift of Norris.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the maths says - we missed out on eight points with both racers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two skilled drivers. We look forward to just some normal racing."

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

United States Grand Prix

October 17-19, with race from 8 PM BST on the final day

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