McLaren boss Zak Brown didn’t hold back his criticism after watching both of his drivers wiped out in the opening-lap chaos of the United States Grand Prix Sprint event.
Calling the incident “amateur hour driving” from rivals, Brown made it clear that neither Oscar Piastri nor Lando Norris bore any blame for the crash that destroyed McLaren’s hopes at COTA’s Turn 1 shortly after the start.
“Yeah, that was terrible,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “Neither of our drivers to blame there, some amateur hour driving from some drivers up there at the front, wiped [out] our two guys.”
McLarens Caught in the Crossfire
The Turn 1 pile-up erupted as Norris and Piastri fought over second place behind Max Verstappen. Norris, who made a strong start from the front row, defended on the inside while Piastri attempted a cutback on exit.
But the Australian’s move coincided with a bold lunge up the inside from Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber – who was then squeezed by Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin.
The contact flicked Piastri into Norris, sending both McLarens spinning into retirement before completing a single corner. Alonso was also taken out, while Hulkenberg limped back to the pits with front wing damage.
The stewards deemed the chaotic moment a racing incident, but Brown was far from satisfied.
“Err, I want to see the replay again,” he added. “But clearly Nico drove into Oscar and he had no business being where he was, went into his left rear tyre.”
A Brutal Outcome for Team Papaya
While Brown’s frustration was directed mainly at Hulkenberg, he also hinted that other experienced drivers – notably Alonso – could have shown better awareness in the crowded Turn 1 melee.
McLaren’s stance is that both its drivers were simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, victims of over-ambition elsewhere.
For the team, the outcome was brutal: both cars out of the race within seconds, undoing what had been a strong qualifying performance that saw Norris and Piastri line up behind Verstappen on the front row.
The drivers themselves echoed Brown’s disappointment. Norris summed it up succinctly: “I got hit, what else was I meant to do? That's about it, I got taken out, not a lot I could have done.”
Piastri added: “We both went pretty deep into Turn 1, tried to cut back and got a hit, not a great way to start the day but need to have another look.”
Despite the early heartbreak, Brown remained philosophical, suggesting McLaren will regroup quickly for the main Grand Prix. Still, his irritation over what he perceived as needless aggression from rivals was unmistakable.
For a team that arrived in Austin with both cars in title contention, the Sprint was a reminder that in Formula 1, even the sharpest front-runners can become collateral damage when “amateur hour” takes hold.
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