McLaren’s hopes for a strong finish in the United States Grand Prix sprint race evaporated in seconds as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris collided on the opening corner in a dramatic chain reaction that also took out Fernando Alonso.
Piastri, who leads Norris by 22 points in the championship, made contact with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, which sent his car careening into his teammate. The incident ended both McLarens’ races before they could complete a lap — a devastating outcome for one of Formula 1’s most consistent teams this season.
McLaren Leadership Points Fingers
McLaren CEO Zak Brown didn’t mince words, calling some of the early-race driving “amateur hour.”
“Clearly Nico drove into Oscar — he had no business being where he was,” Brown told Sky Sports.
Team principal Andrea Stella echoed the frustration, urging more “prudence” from experienced drivers like Hulkenberg and Alonso.
“It’s surprising to see such lack of caution. You go to Turn One, make sure you don’t damage competitors — that’s basic racing etiquette.”
Drivers Offer Conflicting Views
While McLaren blamed rivals, others saw it differently.
Former world champion Damon Hill suggested Piastri misjudged the situation by cutting inside too aggressively in the first corner — a known high-risk zone at the Circuit of the Americas.
Piastri, however, said he hadn’t reviewed the footage:
“I tried to cut back on Lando and then got a hit — it sent me into him. A shame.”
Norris maintained he was simply caught in the crossfire:
“I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. It’s people further back being careless — we’re the consequence.”
Rivals Respond: “Nowhere to Go”
Hulkenberg, who started a season-best P4, defended his actions, explaining he was boxed in by Alonso and couldn’t avoid contact:
“Oscar turned in pretty aggressively trying to undercut, but I can’t just disappear. With Fernando attacking on the inside, the contact was inevitable.”
Alonso added:
“I thought I was in the right place, but cars came fast from the outside — suddenly, I was in the middle.”
Focus Shifts to Recovery and Repair
With both McLarens heavily damaged, the team faces a major rebuild before qualifying later the same day. Stella stressed the need to regroup:
“We’re disappointed, but we take it on the chin. Now we focus on repairing the cars and getting back to normal racing.”
Despite the crash, McLaren remains optimistic given their competitive pace this season.
“We lost eight points today, but we have two strong drivers and a quick car. We’ll bounce back,” said Stella.
Verstappen Extends His Reign
The sprint was won by Max Verstappen, who capitalized on the chaos to tighten the title gap — now 55 points behind Piastri and 33 behind Norris. The Red Bull star said he’ll continue to take the championship “race by race.”
As for McLaren, the message is clear: repair, refocus, and return stronger — hoping the next lights-out moment ends in triumph, not turmoil.
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