Former driver Danica Patrick has shared her tackle McLaren’s disastrous Lap 1 collision throughout the Dash at the US Grand Prix, the place Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris crashed out after contact on Flip 1. The incident unfolded simply seconds after lights out, ending each drivers’ race and closely reshaping the Dash.
Talking on Sky Sports activities F1’s post-Dash present, Patrick advised that Piastri’s try to remain vast and carry momentum into Flip 2 led to the collision.
“Oscar was nonetheless going to be on the skin for the subsequent nook; he would have wanted lots of momentum,” Patrick stated (through @LucianoYoma on X). “He slowed down additional and that’s why it obtained so unhealthy. At that cut-off date, the pack has closed extra and the hole is gone.”
Each the McLaren drivers began inside the highest three, Lando Norris in P2 and Oscar Piastri in P3, alongside polesitter Max Verstappen. Chaos erupted behind the Crimson Bull driver when Nico Hülkenberg, beginning fourth, touched the facet of Piastri’s MCL39, which launched into Norris’ automotive. Norris spun and was instantly out. Piastri tried to proceed however pulled off monitor with terminal injury.
The crash triggered a Security Automotive and eliminated the 2 essential challengers to Verstappen, leaving the Crimson Bull driver to dominate. It additionally reignited dialogue round McLaren’s intra-team dynamics, given the pair had already tangled in Singapore earlier this month.
Lando Norris, visibly annoyed, was clear in his post-race feedback. He stated (through F1):
“I imply, what was I meant to do in that – I simply obtained hit. I did nothing fallacious. Additional again issues occurred, and I simply obtained unfortunate and I obtained hit due to it. I must look a bit extra fastidiously. It’s extra folks additional again simply being a bit careless, and we’re the consequence of that.”
Whereas many followers felt Patrick’s remarks had been too harsh, the incident marked McLaren’s first double DNF in a Dash this season and value them invaluable momentum within the title race.
Within the championship standings, Oscar Piastri stays on high with 336 factors, Norris trails by 22 in second, and Verstappen has lower the hole to 55 after his win. The COTA conflict has given Crimson Bull contemporary hope, with simply 5 rounds remaining.
Oscar Piastri calls it “a disgrace” as Max Verstappen wins the Dash in Austin
After the McLarens had been worn out, Max Verstappen’s path was clear. The Dutchman made a clear restart after the Security Automotive and held off an early transfer from George Russell, who briefly tried an overtake into Flip 12 however ran vast. From there, Verstappen managed the tempo and constructed a gradual lead.
Behind him, Russell took a composed second place for Mercedes, whereas Carlos Sainz earned Williams’ first Dash podium of the season in third. Verstappen mirrored on the win with a measured tone, saying (through F1):
“I imply, the beginning was good. Then, in fact, there was the Security Automotive due to the Flip 1 incident, and it took just a few laps after the Security Automotive to have respectable tempo, so we have to attempt to determine what was happening there.”
For Oscar Piastri, the temper was way more subdued. The Australian stated he hadn’t totally reviewed the footage but, however accepted it as an unlucky racing incident.
“It’s clearly not ultimate, however I really haven’t seen what occurred but. I attempted to chop again on Lando. I imply, we had been each very removed from the apex after which obtained successful, and he clearly despatched me into Lando, so (it’s) a disgrace,” he stated.
Oscar Piastri now heads into qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix with restricted information and a serious drawback, given the crew misplaced its solely actual long-run suggestions because of the early double retirement. On Dash weekends, with only one observe session, that information loss may be decisive.
In the meantime, Crimson Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari will have the ability to make set-up changes utilizing Dash data earlier than parc fermé closes once more.
For Oscar Piastri, his two earlier visits to COTA haven’t yielded outcomes, with a DNF from P10 in 2023 and a P5 end in 2024, whereas Verstappen stays untouchable in Texas. The Dutchman’s newest Dash victory provides to his exceptional file on the Circuit of the Americas, the place he additionally received from pole in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
alt=”Anurup Chakraborty” peak=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Parag Jain
