How Zhou Guanyu's Crash Helped F1 Avoid a Horrific Incident

We are talking about the protesters incident that had invaded the track after the start. Luckily, these protestants were not encountered by the F1 cars when they were going full speed. After those situations that played out without being injured, the race was full of exciting and dramatic moments. Now, let's dig deeper into analyzing the two major incidents from the 2022 British Grand Prix.

We took our breath away when we saw Zhou crash, but in the end, everyone was highly relieved when confirmation came that the Alfa Romeo driver was alright.

"It was a big crash and I'm glad I'm ok. The marshals and the medical team at the track were fantastic with their quick response, and I also owe my thanks to the FIA and Formula One for all the work they have done, and they keep doing, to improve the safety of our cars," declared Zhou Guanyu after his colossal crash. "The Halo saved me today, and it goes to show that every step we take in improving our cars has real, valuable results."

Basically, we had this chain reaction: Pierre Gasly hit the Mercedes of George Russell, who crashed in Zhou's rear, flipping over his Alfa Romeo. After that, the car slid across the asphalt runoff at high-speed upside down and into the gravel trap. The Alfa Romeo then flipped over into the air over a tire barrier, stopping into a fence at an angle that fortunately protected his head. However, the extraction process of the Chinese driver was challenging, so it took a long time.

Once it was established that Zhou did not suffer serious injuries, he was kept in the medical center for investigations. Williams driver Alexander Albon was sent to the hospital as well for monitoring after being involved in another pretty hard incident.

However, there was another unexpected incident that was fortunately avoided. The red flag at the start of the race appears to have coincidentally prevented a hazardous situation following an attempted track invasion. The police had released a declaration on social media about a possible incident before the race: "We have received credible intelligence that a group of protestors are planning to disrupt the 2022 Formula 1 British Grand Prix and possibly invade the track on race day."

While the first lap crash was being dealt with under the red flag, it quickly emerged that several people had got onto the circuit. More precisely, five protesters invaded the course as the leading cars were going past. Luckily, they were going at a low speed due to the red flag condition.

It is the latest in a range of protests from a group of supporters of Just Stop Oildemanding, which calls for an immediate stop to new oil and gas projects.

Fortunately, with the red flag out, the cars had to go to the pits without going for a second time through that part of the track while the protesters were out there. However, Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon (two of  the drivers involved in an accident at the start of the race) got a whole glance at the invaders. After the race, the problem was dealt with by the local authorities.

Even though we understand the importance of some of these protests, putting yourself and others in danger is not the way to do it.

F1 accident at the British Grand Prix today

Zhou Guanyu gave an update after the crash that he is OK ????

(via @Taaaanxo) pic.twitter.com/RSXXPys9RY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 3, 2022