Zhou Guanyu, the driver who endured an enormous crash at last Sunday’s British Grand Prix, has said he finds it hard to believe he survived the incident.
Speaking about what happened at Silverstone for the first time, Zhou admitted he feared his car would catch fire as he lay trapped amid the wreckage.
The 23-year-old, who is the first Chinese driver in Formula One and in his rookie season in the sport, was speaking before this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring and once more paid tribute to the halo cockpit protection device. “I don’t know how I survived,” he said. “But then looking back obviously I saw the halo saved me.” That Zhou survived such a horrific high-speed crash was testament to the safety of modern cars.
At turn one on the opening lap there was a multi-car accident in which Zhou’s Alfa Romeo was clipped by George Russell’s Mercedes.