McLaren stunned by lack of wisdom from F1 rivals after nightmare crash

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has called out “experienced” drivers for causing the crash on the opening lap of the sprint race in Austin.

Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg made contact on the exit of Turn 1, while Fernando Alonso was also alongside the Sauber driver as they battled for position.

Piastri was pitched into team-mate Norris and both drivers suffered terminal damage, allowing race-winner Max Verstappen to further close the gap in the championship.

Stella believes his drivers were blameless in the collision as he pointed fingers at rival drivers for not having more patience.

“The reaction is that we are disappointed that we didn’t have the possibility to race today,” Stella told Sky F1.

“The first corner incident took both cars out of the race. It’s surprising that some drivers with a lot of experience don’t act with more prudence.

“Go through the first corner, make sure you don’t damage competitors and then carry on.”

Despite the damage inflicted on the cars, both Norris and Piastri are expected to be ready to partake in qualifying for the grand prix later today.

Stella has called on the McLaren team to reset and focus on extracting maximum potential from the car in the remaining sessions.

“Overall, [we are] disappointed, but we take it on the chin. We are now focusing on repairing the cars, there’s a lot to do and then we restart the weekend.

“From there, I think we are in a strong position from a competitiveness point of view. So we hope we have the possibility to race normally and capitalise on our performance.”