McLaren pair crash out as Verstappen wins chaotic Austin sprint

McLaren’s title contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both failed to finish the United States Grand Prix sprint after colliding in a dramatic first-lap incident that also eliminated Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, sport360ng reports.

The chaos unfolded just moments after lights out, when Piastri clipped the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg while jostling for position into Turn One. The contact launched the Australian into the air and straight into team-mate Norris, ending both their races almost immediately.

The collision marked a disastrous start to the weekend for McLaren, who have spent the past fortnight managing growing tension between their two drivers. Team management had repeatedly stressed that while Piastri and Norris were free to race, avoiding intra-team contact was non-negotiable.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took full advantage of McLaren’s misfortune, holding off an early challenge from Mercedes’ George Russell to claim victory. Williams’ Carlos Sainz secured third place after fending off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen’s win trimmed his deficit in the drivers’ standings, the Dutchman now sits 55 points behind championship leader Piastri and 33 adrift of Norris.

Norris expressed frustration after his early exit, insisting he was blameless in the clash.

“I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong,” he told reporters. “It’s just people being a bit careless further back and we ended up paying the price.”

Piastri, who had made the better getaway of the two McLarens, was equally disappointed.

“I had a good start and tried to cut back into Turn One, then got hit,” he said. “Not the way we wanted to start the day.”

How the Crash Happened

Piastri initially drew alongside Norris on the run up the hill to the opening corner but switched to the inside line to attempt a cutback. In doing so, his left rear wheel touched Hulkenberg’s front right, sending the McLaren airborne. As he bounced back onto the circuit, he collided with Norris, leaving the Briton stranded and Piastri limping back to the pits before retiring.

The incident comes just two weeks after a minor clash between the pair in Singapore, when Norris tapped Piastri’s car while battling Max Verstappen. McLaren handed internal “consequences” to Norris at the time, and the team will now face renewed questions about how it manages its in-house title fight.

Verstappen Capitalises

Following the crash, the safety car was deployed for five laps. On the restart, Russell briefly challenged Verstappen into Turn 12 but both drivers went off track, allowing the reigning world champion to reassert control and ease away to victory.

Sainz comfortably held third, while Hamilton climbed to fourth after overtaking Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who had run wide through the Esses. Leclerc later recovered to finish fifth ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli claimed the final point after Haas driver Oliver Bearman received a 10-second penalty for gaining an advantage off-track during a late battle between the pair.

The race ended under another safety car after Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin ploughed into Esteban Ocon’s Haas at Turn One. Stroll was later handed a five-place grid penalty and two penalty points for the collision.

Sprint Race Top 8

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 8 pts

2. George Russell (Mercedes) – 7

3. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 6

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 5

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 4

6. Alex Albon (Williams) – 3

7. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 2

8. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1