Stella: Someone failed to show proper prudence.

      A double retirement is the worst thing that can happen to a team whose both drivers are fighting for the title. Not least because such an outcome can only please the rivals, in this case Red Bull Racing, as Max Verstappen, the sprint winner in Austin, cut the gap to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by another eight points.

      When Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, was asked what the reaction to the incident had been, he said: “We are upset, because we were denied the chance to take part in the race. Due to the incident at turn one both cars retired. It is surprising that some very experienced drivers did not show the necessary prudence at turn one, because you have to make sure you are not going to cause harm to other participants in the sprint, and only then can you continue.

      Overall, we are upset but ready to show resilience, because right now the main thing is to devote as much attention as possible to repairing the cars, and there is a lot to do. After that we will have to start the weekend again. In terms of competitiveness we are in a favourable position. We hope we will have the opportunity to run the Sunday race properly and make full use of the cars’ potential, because it is important now to keep scoring points.

      I am not saying anyone acted maliciously — I am only talking about a lack of prudence, especially when you are starting from such a high position. If some of the more experienced drivers had shown more prudence, it would have been better for everyone.

      Speaking of the consequences, you have to look at the maths: with both drivers we lost eight points. But the task is to focus on our work. We know that if we can race properly, everything will fall into place by itself, because we have a very fast car and two strong drivers. Let us hope the upcoming race goes smoothly.”