Carlos Sainz has broken through to win his first ever F1 race at a chaotic British grand Prix that had absolute everything.
Carlos Sainz has won a chaotic British Grand Prix, finally breaking through to claim his maiden F1 race victory.
The race was red flagged on the very first lap after Zhou Guanyu had a horrific crash on the opening corner.
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The Alfa Romeo rookie was clipped by Mercedes' George Russell and his car flipped upside down, sliding off the track and across the gravel at full speed before landing on the catch fencing.
There were serious concerns for Zhou's welfare but he was eventually extracted from his car, put on a stretcher and assessed at the medical centre.
Thankfully he was conscious and was later cleared of any major injuries and released from the medical centre.
The halo, the protective barrier that surrounds the driver's head area, prevented Zhou's helmet from scraping along the ground and likely saved his life.
Once the race restarted, a battle emerged between Lewis Hamilton and the two Ferraris after Max Verstappen fell out of contention with a punctured tyre and other issues with his car.
It looked like Hamilton might be on track for victory but a slow pit stop, questionable tyre choice and the resurgent Ferraris ensured he finished third.
Sergio Perez was the major beneficiary of a late safety car, while Hamilton managed to pass Leclerc following an epic back-and-forth duel in the closing laps.
It is Hamilton's 13th podium at Silverstone, which is a record for the most podiums at a single event.
For Sainz, it was a milestone victory in the Spaniard's 150th Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo started the race 14th but could only finish 13th in another forgettable outing for the Australian, who would have been closer to dead last if it wasn't for a slew of retirements.
British Grand Prix results (top 10)
1) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
8) Mick Schumacher, Haas
9) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
10) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
Esteban Ocon triggered a safety car, bunching the field back together for a chaotic finish.
Carlos Sainz is on track for the win but the battle for the podium is fierce.
Hamilton had an epic back-and-forth battle with Charles Leclerc, with the pair trading places before Hamilton eventually went up into third via DRS.
With 20 laps to go, Lewis Hamilton is leading a race for the first time this season.
Hamilton had a large lead but will need to chase down the Ferraris after a slow pit stop.
He was helped by Ferrari taking an age to let Charles Leclerc overtake Carlos Sainz, who was holding up Leclerc.
Zhou Guanyu and Alex Albon were both checked in the medical centre and cleared of major injuries.
Albon was taken to hospital for further assessments, while Zhou was later declared fit and released from the medical centre.
Meanwhile, the race has restarted and after taking the race lead, Max Verstappen was forced to pit at the end of lap 12 after puncturing one of his tyres.
Carlos Sainz is in the lead ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Amid the carnage of Zhou's horror crash, it emerged several protestors had made their way onto the track during the opening lap.
Had the race not been red flagged, they may well have been sitting ducks on the second lap.
Local police were expecting the protestors, who were swiftly removed from the track.
Protestors on the track at the #BritishGP. They stormed the fence on the first lap. pic.twitter.com/9BEAH9zzwS
— Helèna Hicks (@_HelenaHicks) July 3, 2022
It would appear protesters ran onto the track on lap 1 but their efforts to halt the race were thwarted by the Red Flag caused by the multi-car accident involving Zhou. Adding a further dimension to the stoppage & track clearance. People with a cause but little intellect 🤷♂️ #F1 pic.twitter.com/4KwP96PpCC
— Mark Gallagher (@_markgallagher) July 3, 2022
Sky Sports commentator David Croft said: "On that first lap when we had the red flag, there were several people who attempted to enter the track here at Silverstone.
"Those people were immediately removed. The matter is now being dealt with by the local authorities.
"It seems a few got onto the track. There efforts came to absolutely nothing and the race had been red flagged by that stage.
"To enter a race track, whatever your cause, seeme to me to be utterly, utterly ludicrous."
The race has been red flagged after Zhou Guanyu's Alfa Romeo flipped upside down and he slid off the track into the gravel in a horror crash on the opening corner.
Zhou was sandwiched between Pierre Gasly and George Russell before he was clipped by Russell's Mercedes and his car was completely upended as he careened off the track and bounced up onto the catch fencing.
Russell also flew off the track but got out of his car immediately and ran over to Zhou's car.
There was immediate concern for Zhou's welfare. After several minutes, he was taken out of the car, put on a stretcher and Alfa Romeo says he is conscious and OK.
Williams' Alex Albon has also been taken to hospital for meeical assessment.
That was a massive crash,
— Isa Al-Hammadi (@iBahrain) July 3, 2022
I do hope that @ZhouGuanyu24
and all other drivers are okay.
#BritishGP #SilverstoneGP #f1 #formula1 #f122 pic.twitter.com/YJ7kAFxKqb
The FIA said in a statement: "The FIA advises that following the incident at the start of the race, emergency crews were immediately in attendance, and the drivers of Car 23 (Albon) and Car 24 (Zhou) have been taken to the medical centre.
"Both drivers were conscious and will be evaluated at the medical centre. Further updates will be given in due course."
A record crowd has turned out to watch the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and Daniel Ricciardo is getting right in the spirit of things.
The Aussie arrived on the track ahead of the race perched on the back of a convertible wearing an old school racing helmet (if you can call it that) and goggles.
Ricciardo will start from 14th on the grid.
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