Zak Brown applauded by fans for Nico Hulkenberg moment after cutting US GP sprint comments

After initially blaming Nico Hulkenberg for the sprint crash that eliminated both McLaren drivers, Zak Brown reviewed the footage and shook the Sauber driver's hand ahead of the US GP

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been applauded by Formula 1 fans after a moment with Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg was captured ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

The McLaren chief had been critical of the German driver after a Turn 1 incident during the sprint race ended both Lando Norris's and Oscar Piastri’s races. Immediately after the crash, Brown slammed Hulkenberg while speaking to Sky Sports F1.

“That was terrible,” Brown said. “Neither of our drivers to blame there. Some amateur hour driving. Some drivers up there at the front whacked our two guys.”

He added: “I want to see the replay again, but clearly Nico drove into Oscar and he had no business being where he was.”

But, after reviewing the footage, Brown retracted his earlier comments. "I've reviewed it, I think I've changed my view. I can't really put that on Nico. In the heat of the moment, obviously pretty bothered what I saw there, a lot of incidents in Turn 1. But I don't think that's on Nico."

Brown approached Hulkenberg on the grid ahead of the United States Grand Prix and was captured shaking his hand. The moment was met with praise from fans. "It takes a stronger person to admit they were wrong than to dogmatically hold a position. Zak admitted he was wrong, and fair play to him. I ranted about the halo when it was introduced but will happily admit it was the right decision and has saved at least one life. Facts matter," one fan posted to Reddit.

"Zak realised he said something stupid and owned up to it. That's class," another fan posted, while someone else added: "Nice gesture from Zak. I always enjoy seeing these little interactions."

"I thought he was wrong blaming other drivers for 'amateur hour' right after the incident. I was glad that he admitted he was wrong during his interview during race qualifying after the sprint, and glad to see him shaking Nico's hand and talking to him before the race. Zak's an OK guy in my book," wrote another fan.

Another added: "Ya this overall shows insane maturity from Zak. It's so easy to not shake his hand and apologize [to] his face, and very tough to actually do it. It reeks of Zak being a good manager which spreads into a good company culture. He is the most important factor into getting McLaren back to the front of the grid. There's a reason he gets a massive bonus when they win the WCC."