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McLaren Formula 1 bosses Brown and Andrea Stella blamed rival drivers for the crash between Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the US GP sprint race.

Piastri, leading Norris in the standings by 22 points, crashed into his team-mate after hitting the Hulkenberg.

The incident eliminated both team drivers out of the event, along with the Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Voice Frustration Over Crash

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

McLaren F1 team principal Stella added: "Our feeling is that we are displeased that we were denied the possibility to race."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise fail to act with justful prudence. Enter the initial turn, ensure you don't damage competitors and carry on."

The team suggested that Stella was mentioning both Hulkenberg and Alonso.

Contrasting Views on the Incident

Nevertheless, former champion Damon Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed the Australian had not shown enough understanding of the risks of the first corner of an F1 race when he decided to move inside to try to pass Norris.

The Australian had a stronger launch than Norris and at first challenged on the outer side on the uphill approach to the turn.

But he then moved inside in an attempt to get a advantage on his teammate on the exit, only to make contact with the Sauber driver.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I haven't seen what occurred, 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 said: "I just was struck, right? I was not at fault. Behind us things happened and I just got unlucky and got hit because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more people further back just being a bit careless and we are the result of that."

Alonso said: "At one point I thought I was in the correct position on the inside, but some cars came very fast from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the center."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a best qualifying fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from the previous day in the bin. Just chaotic."

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

"I had Fernando challenge on the inner side and I was unable to see him any more. I wanted to provide room for him and then Piastri turned in and the contact was unavoidable."

Post-Crash and McLaren's Reaction

McLaren will analyze the crash with their racers but not until the race weekend. Both vehicles needed extensive work before qualifying session at 10 PM BST on Saturday.

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

"Our team holds a competitive place from our competitiveness point of view so I hope we have the possibility to race, compete fairly and utilize our performance."

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

Championship Implications

The race was taken by the Max Verstappen, who closed in on both team racers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind the Australian and thirty-three behind of the Briton.

Stella said: "The consequence is what the numbers show - we lost eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a highly capable car and two skilled racers. We anticipate just some standard competition."

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

United States Grand Prix

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

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; live text updates on sports website and mobile application