Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu credits halo for saving his life after horror crash
Zhou was sent into the tire gates on the roof of his car from the start
The race was immediately red flagged for a 53 minute delay until the restart
By Dominic Hogan for Mailonline
Published: 18:01, July 3, 2022 † Updated: 18:09, July 3, 2022
Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu has credited the halo on his car after surviving a horror crash from the start of Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone in front of thousands of shocked fans.
The Formula 1 rookie was approaching the 160mph opening Abbey corner when British driver George Russell tapped the right rear of Zhou’s car, sending it onto its roof and slipping out of control.
But he was miraculously unharmed after his car drove through the gravel and slammed into the tire wall, and after being removed from his car, he confirmed he was unharmed.
It took a crane to remove Zhou Guanyu’s car after it flipped over the protective tires
Zhou quickly reassured his Twitter followers after his terrifying crash early in the race
He took to Twitter to share his condition with his followers, writing: ‘I’m fine, everything is clear. Halo saved me today. Thank you everyone for your sweet messages!’
Zhou’s Alfa Romeo lay on its side, between the tire wall and the fencing, with fans and photographers nearby taking cover after the collision.
An extraction team rushed to Zhou and the 23-year-old Chinese driver, in just his 10th race, was carefully removed and taken to the medical center in an ambulance.
Russell was also seen rushed to check on his friend, Williams driver Alex Albon, who was also involved in the accident, and then to Zhou’s condition.
Zhou’s car flipped over before getting stuck between the tire wall and the fence
“I’m glad Zhou is okay. It was a horrible incident,” Russell told Sky Sports.
The Mercedes driver, who was not allowed to restart the race, added: “I jumped out of the car to see that Zhou was okay. When I got back to the car, I couldn’t restart it. Once you get outside help, you can’t resume the race.’
Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon were also involved in the frenetic opening moments of Sunday’s race, with both drivers stumbling back to the pits for repairs and able to take part in the restart.
A radio message to Zhou’s teammate Valtteri Bottas said: “Zhou is conscious. He talks. There are no fractures and given the circumstances he’s pretty good, pretty good.’
The race was delayed 53 minutes after Zhou Guanyu’s horror crash from the start of the race
Fans watched in shock as the car overturned
Zhou stayed on the track at the medical center for observations, while London-born Albon was taken to hospital.
An FIA spokesperson said: “Two drivers involved in the incident at the start of the race were checked at the medical centre. There were no major injuries.
“The driver of car 24 (Zhou) is under observation at the medical center. The driver of car 23 (Albon) is being transferred by helicopter to Coventry Hospital for a preventive check-up.
“The driver of car 63 (Russell) has been checked by medical personnel and declared fit.”
The race was immediately red flagged, but as the cars returned to the pits, five protesters stormed the track on the 200mph Wellington Straight before sitting down.
The protesters were dragged away by marshals as several drivers rushed past.
An FIA spokesperson said: “We confirm that several people tried to get on track after the red flag. These people were immediately removed and the case is now being handled by the local authorities.’
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won the eventful British Grand Prix for his first Formula 1 win
The race resumed after a 53-minute delay.
Northamptonshire Police said they had made a number of arrests.
They said on Twitter: ‘We can confirm that a number of people have taken to the track after the red flag.
“Everything has been safely removed and a number of arrests have been made.
“We continue to ask people to be extra vigilant and to report suspicious matters to us.”