Former driver Danica Patrick has shared her take on McLaren’s disastrous Lap 1 collision during the Sprint at the United States Grand Prix, where Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris crashed out after contact on Turn 1. The incident unfolded just seconds after lights out, ending both drivers’ race and heavily reshaping the Sprint.Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s post-Sprint show, Patrick suggested that Piastri’s attempt to stay wide and carry momentum into Turn 2 led to the collision.“Oscar was still going to be on the outside for the next corner; he would have needed a lot of momentum,” Patrick said (via @LucianoYoma on X). “He slowed down extra and that’s why it got so bad. At that point in time, the pack has closed more and the gap is gone.”Both the McLaren drivers started inside the top three, Lando Norris in P2 and Oscar Piastri in P3, alongside polesitter Max Verstappen. Chaos erupted behind the Red Bull driver when Nico Hülkenberg, starting fourth, touched the side of Piastri’s MCL39, which launched into Norris' car. Norris spun and was immediately out. Piastri attempted to continue but pulled off track with terminal damage.The crash triggered a Safety Car and removed the two main challengers to Verstappen, leaving the Red Bull driver to dominate. It also reignited discussion around McLaren’s intra-team dynamics, given the pair had already tangled in Singapore earlier this month.Lando Norris, visibly frustrated, was clear in his post-race comments. He said (via F1):“I mean, what was I meant to do in that – I just got hit. I did nothing wrong. Further back things happened, and I just got unlucky and I got hit because of it. I need to look a bit more carefully. It’s more people further back just being a bit careless, and we are the consequence of that.”While many fans felt Patrick’s remarks were too harsh, the incident marked McLaren’s first double DNF in a Sprint this season and cost them valuable momentum in the title race.In the championship standings, Oscar Piastri remains on top with 336 points, Norris trails by 22 in second, and Verstappen has cut the gap to 55 after his win. The COTA clash has given Red Bull fresh hope, with just five rounds remaining.Oscar Piastri calls it “a shame” as Max Verstappen wins the Sprint in AustinOscar Piastri of McLaren after the F1 Grand Prix of the United States Sprint. Source: GettyAfter the McLarens were wiped out, Max Verstappen’s path was clear. The Dutchman made a clean restart after the Safety Car and held off an early move from George Russell, who briefly attempted an overtake into Turn 12 but ran wide. From there, Verstappen controlled the pace and built a steady lead.Behind him, Russell took a composed second place for Mercedes, while Carlos Sainz earned Williams’ first Sprint podium of the season in third. Verstappen reflected on the win with a measured tone, saying (via F1):“I mean, the start was good. Then, of course, there was the Safety Car because of the Turn 1 incident, and it took a few laps after the Safety Car to have decent pace, so we need to try to figure out what was going on there.”For Oscar Piastri, the mood was far more subdued. The Australian said he hadn’t fully reviewed the footage yet, but accepted it as an unfortunate racing incident.“It’s obviously not ideal, but I actually haven’t seen what happened yet. I tried to cut back on Lando. I mean, we were both very far from the apex and then got a hit, and he obviously sent me into Lando, so (it’s) a shame," he said.Oscar Piastri now heads into qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix with limited data and a major disadvantage, given the team lost its only real long-run feedback due to the early double retirement. On Sprint weekends, with just one practice session, that data loss can be decisive. Meanwhile, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari will be able to make set-up adjustments using Sprint information before parc fermé closes again.For Oscar Piastri, his two previous visits to COTA haven’t yielded results, with a DNF from P10 in 2023 and a P5 finish in 2024, while Verstappen remains untouchable in Texas. The Dutchman’s latest Sprint victory adds to his remarkable record at the Circuit of the Americas, where he also won from pole in 2021, 2022, and 2023.