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

The Australian driver, leading Norris in the championship by 22 points, crashed into his team-mate after making contact with the Hulkenberg.

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

McLaren Leaders Express Disappointment Over Incident

Brown, the team's CEO, commented to broadcasters that some of the racing at the front was "unprofessional", remarking: "Clearly Hulkenberg made contact with Piastri and he had no business being where he was."

The team team principal Stella added: "The reaction is that we are displeased that we didn't have the chance to race."

"It is unexpected that some racers with a lot of expertise don't act with appropriate caution. Enter the first corner, ensure you avoid harming competitors and continue."

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

Differing Perspectives on the Crash

Nevertheless, 1996 world champion Damon Hill, providing analysis for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he thought Piastri had not demonstrated enough understanding of the risks of the opening turn of an Formula 1 event when he decided to move inside to try to pass Norris.

Piastri had a stronger launch than Norris and initially challenged on the outer side on the uphill entry to the corner.

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

Racer Comments After the Collision

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

Norris commented: "I just got hit, right? I was not at fault. Further back things happened and I just was unfortunate and was struck because of it. I don't know. I need to review a bit more carefully. It's more people behind just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

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

Hulkenberg, who had qualified a season-best fourth, said: "Major disappointment. All the strong performance from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

"Piastri turned in pretty forcefully 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 couldn't see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Oscar steered inward and the contact was unavoidable."

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will review the crash with their drivers but not until the race weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on Saturday.

The team principal said: "In general disappointed but we accept it, we are now focusing on repairing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the event from there."

"We are in a strong position from our performance point of view so I hope we have the opportunity to compete, race normally and capitalise on our capabilities."

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

Championship Implications

The sprint event was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who gained ground on both team racers in the standings - he is now 55 points behind the Australian and thirty-three adrift of the Briton.

The team boss said: "The implication is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight championship points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two strong drivers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

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

United States Grand Prix

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

Real-time analysis on sports radio, Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; live text updates on BBC Sport website and mobile application