Zhou Guanyu, 2022 British Grand Prix
IMAGO / PanoramiC
Two massive, multi-car wrecks red flagged the F1 British Grand Prix in the opening lap Sunday.
Pierre Gasly darted in-between Zhou Guanyu, who started ninth, and George Russell, who started eighth. But a replay shows that as the gap is closing, the AlphaTauri driver backs out. Gasly tagged Russell’s left-rear wheel, sending the Mercedes spinning into Zhou.
The Alfa Romeo flipped upside down and went flying across the track and into the gravel. The car does not slow down, and it vaults over the barrier. Russell sprinted out of his car to check on Zhou.
Meanwhile, a completely separate wreck occurred elsewhere on the grid with Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon. Albon braked because of the initial accident, and Sebastian Vettel hit the back of the Williams.
The collision pushed Albon into the pit wall before spinning back to the track. He then collided with Tsunoda and Ocon.
The FIA confirmed that Albon and Zhou are both conscious and were taken to the medical care center. Over the radio, Alfa Romeo told teammate Valtteri Bottas that “Zhou is okay.”
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Team radio later reported to Bottas, “Zhou is conscious, he is talking, there are no fractures. Considering the circumstances, he is pretty good.” However, Albon is being “transferred by helicopter to Coventry Hospital for precautionary checks,” Williams tweeted.
FIA later shared that Zhou “has been declared fit and released from the Medical Centre.”
Russell was also checked but “was declared fit.”
When Russell returned to his car after checking on Zhou, he says he “couldn’t quite get it started.” The Mercedes driver said he went back to the team to check, but he told the marshals to leave the car. But when he returned, the car was in a flat bed, and due to the rules, the FIA will not allow Russell to rejoin.
Because a full lap was not completed, the restart order was as follows.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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