McLaren suffers double retirement after Turn 1 sprint crash in Austin

McLaren lost both cars in the opening lap of Saturday’s United States Grand Prix sprint in Austin after a multi‑car collision at Turn 1 that involved Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. The contact sent Piastri into his teammate Norris and left both McLarens too damaged to continue the short race, while Hülkenberg remained able to continue and ultimately finished outside the points in the sprint.

The incident unfolded as the field approached the uphill hairpin. Piastri, running on the outside, appeared to cut back underneath Norris in an attempt to take second, while Alonso dove down the inside, squeezing the racing lines. Hülkenberg’s Sauber was positioned between those moves and was struck by Piastri’s car, which lifted onto two wheels and struck Norris’s car. Race stewards reviewed the incident and judged it a racing incident, taking no further action.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown initially blamed Hülkenberg for the collision, calling the sequence “terrible” and saying his drivers were not at fault. After reviewing footage and speaking with Sauber representatives, Brown revised his view and issued a...