Stake F1 boss Jonathan Wheatley has revealed that Zak Brown apologised "really quickly" after branding his involvement in the Turn 1 incident in the US Grand Prix as "amateur hour driving."
From fourth on the grid, Hulkenberg collided with Oscar Piastri at the pinchpoint of Turn 1 after the Australian swung back across the track to try and do the switchback manoeuvre on team-mate Lando Norris and pole-sitter Max Verstappen, both of whom had run slightly deep.
However, inside of Hulkenberg was Fernando Alonso, with the German tipping Piastri into Norris, with Alonso an innocent victim as the trio retired, with Hulkenberg able to carry on.
McLaren CEO Brown was serving as the team representative on Sky Sports F1 on the pit-wall throughout the weekend, and when asked for his instant reaction, stated that: "neither of our drivers were to blame there. Some amateur hour driving out there by some drivers.
“I want to see the replay again, but clearly, Nico drove into Oscar, and he had no business being where he was; he went into his left rear tyre."
Brown subsequently withdrew those comments later on Saturday, after reviewing the incident, saying that: "I’ve reviewed it and I think I’ve changed my view, I can’t really put that on Nico.
"In the heat of the moment, obviously, I was pretty bothered by what I saw there. A lot of incidents in turn one, but I don’t think that’s on Nico."
After the main grand prix in which Hulkenberg put in another stellar performance on a strong weekend to finish eighth and score his first points since his podium at the British GP eight races ago, his team boss Wheatley, has revealed how Brown apologised privately
"Zak sent me an apology really quickly afterwards, and he apologised personally to Nico," Wheatley told media, including RacingNews365.
"This is a passionate sport, I love the passion, and you've got two cars fighting for a world championship, and those two cars get taken out at the first corner, it is easy to think it is somebody else's fault sometimes, and you react with passion.
"It was heat of the moment, and the emotion, I've known Zak a really long time; he is a racer, we're all racers, and we sorted it out afterwards."
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