VIDEO – Crash at the start of the Sprint in Austin, double retirement for McLaren

While Max Verstappen started in the lead of the United States Grand Prix Sprint, followed by the two championship leaders Lando Norris et Oscar piastri, it was the Australian who made the best start.

The race was quickly marked by an incident, however. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) speared Oscar Piastri (McLaren) at the first corner. The Australian driver, then in third place, collided with his teammate Lando Norris, spinning and losing a wheel. The race was then quickly neutralized behind the Safety Car for five laps to allow the marshals to clear debris and make the track safe.

Double whammy for McLaren

Both McLaren drivers were forced to retire. It's worth noting that the qualifying session for the main race will take place shortly afterward – a short window of opportunity for McLaren mechanics to save their cars.

Responsible for the impact, Nico Hülkenberg remained in the race with a damaged front wing, while Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), also hit by Hulkenberg, had to retire from the rest of the race. At the same time, Max Verstappen took the lead, the big beneficiary of this first part of the Sprint while McLaren suffered a double blow in the race and for the championship.

DISASTER AT THE FIRST BEND 🤯🤯🤯
THE 2 MCLARENS ON THE MAT! 💥

The sprint race to be experienced on CANAL+ SPORT #USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/EFMFQJUurA

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) October 18, 2025

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