McLaren boss Zak Brown has backtracked on his fiery accusation that Nico Hülkenberg sparked the first-corner mayhem in Saturday’s Sprint race at the US Grand Prix – a retraction that the Sauber driver was quick to welcome.
What began as a heated outburst over “amateur hour driving” ended in a rare moment of Formula 1 diplomacy, with both men ultimately finding common ground after reviewing the chaotic Turn 1 crash.
But immediately after the dramatic collision that eliminated both McLarens, Brown was livid. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he vented his frustration.
“That was terrible,” he said. “Neither of our drivers to blame there. Some amateur hour driving. Some drivers up there at the front whacked our two guys.
“I want to see the replay again, but clearly Nico drove into Oscar and he had no business being where he was.”
But a few hours later, Brown reversed his stance after taking a closer look at the footage.
“I’ve reviewed it, I think I’ve changed my view. I can’t really put that on Nico,” he admitted. “In the heat of the moment, obviously pretty bothered what I saw there, a lot of incidents in Turn 1. But I don’t think that’s on Nico.”
His change of tone came after stewards deemed the multi-car melee a racing incident, closing the book on one of the weekend’s most heated talking points.
Hülkenberg: “Were all in agreement”
For his part, Hülkenberg maintained that he had nowhere to go as the field funneled into the tight left-hander.
“Yeah, no, I didn’t [have anywhere to go],” the German explained after qualifying 11th for Sunday’s main race.
“We were all obviously racing. Fernando [Alonso] was kind of taking the inside, but I knew he was diving in, but I didn’t know where he was exactly.
“He was in a blind spot at that moment, so I wanted to leave some space for him. And then Oscar turned in very suddenly and aggressively. I wanted to cut back for the exit, but obviously, I was there. Yeah, unfortunate for all of us.”
When told about Brown’s retraction, Hülkenberg was visibly pleased.
“Good. So we’re all in agreement then,” he said with a grin. “Still frustrating and disappointing, because the car was strong and if we had kept it there, we would have scored points.
“I’m pretty confident and sure about that, but yeah, would have, could have, should have.”
Despite the setback, Hülkenberg clawed his way to 13th by the flag – an insignificant consolation after what might have been a points-scoring Sprint.
Read also: Hulkenberg ecstatic but surprised by Austin Sprint qualifying P4
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