Various players from the Formula 1 paddock commented on the incident in the first corner after the sprint in Austin – and expressed different opinions.
What is particularly controversial is the question of who is responsible for the incident – the one that threw the two McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as well as Fernando Alonso out of the race in the Aston Martin and ruined Nico Hülkenberg’s chances in the Sauber.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said on Sky: “I believe that Alonso was the triggering factor, and then it was a chain reaction.”
Overall, Marko said the incident was a “racing accident” for him. “And I think the two McLaren drivers are innocent this time.”
Was Nico Hülkenberg the sole trigger?
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff sees it a little differently. He also said on Sky that he sees Nico Hülkenberg as “70 percent” responsible – and “30 percent” as Piastri, “because he goes so far as if there was no one else on the track,” explained Wolff and added: “Several people are involved, but that happens.”
Sky expert Timo Glock perceived the situation differently again.
He couldn’t determine “that Nico Hülkenberg behaved incorrectly. He didn’t attack blindly, but was neutral – and then he completely ran out of options when Oscar Piastri moved in. He couldn’t react and do nothing.”
That’s why Glock considers Alonso to be “a trigger”, but the layout of the track also contributed to the crash: “That’s an effect of this curve. There’s so much space and many different possibilities and lines.” That tempts you to attack, especially for drivers like Alonso and Hülkenberg who “want to get the most out of it,” says Glock.
Could Piastri have avoided the incident?
“They don’t pay any attention to what’s happening in front of them. That’s not what they’re paid for. Instead, they’re supposed to get the best out of their team.”
If anything, Piastri could have avoided the incident, Glock said. “His ‘switchback’ was very aggressive. And he has to expect that there will be a driver inside. But for me he was just reacting to what Lando Norris did and didn’t take into account that there could be Nico and Fernando inside. His only subject was Lando Norris.”