Yuki Tsunoda was involved in his second crash in 24 hours on a Mexico City Grand Prix weekend to forget for the Japanese driver.
Tsunoda initially crashed out in qualifying via a mistake all of his own making after losing control of his RB into Turn 12, resulting in him starting in the middle of the grid.
On the half-mile run-down to the first corner, and from 11th on the grid, Tsunoda made a move on Williams' Alex Albon to the left of the Thai-British driver.
Albon, however, was being squeezed to his right by the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, edging him into the path of Tsunoda.
On two occasions Tsunoda and Albon touched wheels, before the final contact, with the former later on the brakes, resulting in him pirouetting into a wall and sliding all the way into the run-off area at Turn 1.
The incident also resulted in an immediate retirement for Albon, leaving 18 cars still in a race that resulted in the immediate introduction of the safety car for the first time in nine years.
Out front, Red Bull's Max Verstappen managed to out-drag polesitter Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari to take the lead, with the duo followed by McLaren's Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari.
After six laps behind the safety car, the 71-lap race again resumed.
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