Oscar Piastri making contact with Nico Hulkenberg - Photo: Race Pictures

Norris and Piastri react to lap 1 race ending collision

20:11, 18 Oct

Updated: 20:13, 18 Oct

byNorberto Mujica

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were involved in a Lap 1 race ending crash with Nico Hulkenberg.

We both went pretty deep into Turn 1 and I tried to cut back, and got a hit, so obviously not a great way to start the day.

- Oscar Piastri on the crash with Lando Norris and Nico Hulkenberg

As Piastri got off the line better than his teammate, the Aussi took an outside line, which he then converted to an inside line, after Verstappen and Norris went deep.

Nevertheless Piastri's creativity would be his doom. Hulkenberg was making his way through the corner when Piastri was making the cut back to get the jump on Norris and Verstappen. The German collected the Australian, who's MCL39 proved to be fatal for his teammate, resulting in a painful double zero for the McLaren boys.

Reacting to the carsh, Norris said to Sky Sports F1:

"I got hit. What else was I meant to do?"

The British driver, when pressed further, issued a similar answer.

"I need to look at it a bit more. I just got hit, I got taken out, so not a lot I could have done."

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris contact prompted by earlier contact with Nico Hulkenberg. Photo: RacePictures.

Piastri, despite his strong start, can't accurately explain the sequence of events that saw him having to leave hius stricken car by the said of the track.

"I've not seen the incident from the tv cameras, but obviously I had a pretty good start, we both went pretty deep into Turn 1 and I tried to cut back, and got a hit, so obviously not a great way to start the day.

Before concluding: "I need to have another look."

The championship fight takes a perilous turn

With both McLaren drivers failing to score and Verstappen winning the sprint, the Dutchman has taken another 8 points from Piastri's and Norris' lead, cutting them down to 55 and 36 respectively. You can viw the fully updated F1 Drivers' Standings here.

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