McLaren Teammates Piastri, Norris Collide, Exit USGP Sprint Race

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, McLaren teammates and title rivals, collided in the first corner of the United States Grand Prix sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas, leading to both drivers retiring from the race. Piastri attempted an overtaking move on Norris but made contact with Nico Hulkenberg, which caused Hulkenberg to collide with Norris, resulting in suspension damage for Piastri and a wheel loss for Norris. Piastri described the incident as a "racing incident" and rejected blame, saying he was far from the apex and could have let other cars pass instead of risking the move. This crash followed a prior collision between the teammates in Singapore, for which McLaren had sanctioned Norris internally. The incident allowed Max Verstappen to extend his championship challenge, closing the points gap to Piastri and Norris. The ongoing tension between the McLaren drivers and the team's enforcement of internal rules against contact continue to fuel debate over their title fight dynamics.