In an F1 race marred by a horrific first turn incident, protesters, and a safety car that cost Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz defeated Sergio Perez to claim the victory.
Max Verstappen suffered damage that forced him out of the battle for the lead early in the restarted race, which had been stopped after only a few corners due to the Turn 1 incident, and Lewis Hamilton finished third.
Verstappen seized the lead from the driver in second place at the start of the race by using the soft tires’ superior grip compared to the mediums on Sainz’s Ferrari, which had earned pole position.
Following the multi-car pile-up behind the leaders at Abbey, the race was red-flagged as Leclerc was attempting to overtake the Mercedes through Village and the Loop a few turns later.
The Mercedes was speared into the side of the Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu on the approach to the sharp right first curve by contact between Pierre Gasly and George Russell, which caused the Mercedes to flip over.
The Chinese driver’s destroyed car came to rest between the catch fence securing the grandstand directly behind and the back of the barrier as Zhou fell at high speed into the gravel upside down and horrifyingly bounced over it.
Zhou had to be extricated for a while, but once he was, he was sent to the track medical center while still conscious.
