McLaren teammates and championship rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided in the first corner of the first lap of Saturday’s (Oct. 18) Formula 1 Sprint at Circuit of the Americas, ending both of their days and leaving them with no points to be scored for the day.
The two papaya cars lined up behind Max Verstappen, who was sitting on the pole, and neither of them got the jump on the Red Bull at the start with Norris making a particularly slow run off the line.
Turning into COTA’s claustrophobic first corner, Piastri cut across the front of fourth-place starter Nico Hulkenberg‘s KICK Sauber, launching Piastri’s McLaren into the air before it skidded into the rear-right-side wheel of Norris.
Both McLaren’s were disabled and Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin was nothing but collateral damage after he clipped Hulkenberg’s spinning Sauber. Hulkenberg, however, was able to continue after taking his car to the pits for some quick attention. The commentary team unanimously ruled the collision a racing incident as both drivers made their way back to the paddock.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown was sure to get his opinion in on the matter, accusing Hulkenberg of engaging in “some amateur hour driving.”
As for the rest of the field, Verstappen brought the field back to racing pace on lap six, with George Russell and Carlos Sainz in pursuit. Yuki Tsunoda made major gains while navigating the chaos, jumping from 18th on the grid to seventh by the time the race restarted.
Piastri currently leads the World Drivers’ Championship with 336 points, 22 ahead of Norris’ tally of 314. Verstappen sits in third with 273 points.
Qualifying for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, with coverage on ESPN.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.