Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur has praised the FIA and F1's focus on safety after Zhou Guanyu escaped uninjured from a horror accident at the British Grand Prix. The race had only been running for a few seconds when the Mercedes of George Russell made contact with the Alfa Romeo of Zhou, causing the Chinese driver to flip and go into the barriers. Starting eighth and ninth on the grid, both cars flew off the circuit at the first corner, but it was Zhou's horrific crash that caused F1 officials to instantly red flag the race. The Alfa Romeo flipped upside down, smashing through the gravel before hitting the barriers, flying into the air and making contact with the safety fence. He then landed in-between the barrier and the fence, making concerns for his wellbeing felt up and down pit lane.
Russell climbed from his car and ran to his fellow racer to check his condition before medics arrived on the scene to extract Zhou from the wreckage. He was successfully removed from the car and taken to the medical centre, where he was observed then released after being declared fit. Following the race, Vasseur praised the FIA and Formula 1 for all of the safety initiatives that they have enforced in recent years – including the Halo – and credited them with keeping his driver safe.
Vasseur hails "big victory of the day"
"I think we can all agree that the most important thing today is seeing Zhou come out of such a huge crash without any injury," Vasseur said. "What we witnessed were dramatic scenes, and once again we have to thank the great improvements in safety spearheaded by the FIA and Formula 1 for a positive outcome. "The work to improve safety in our sport is never done and today reminds us of just how important this is: Zhou is okay and fit to race in Austria next week, and this is the big victory of the day."
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