Horror accident at 2022 British Grand Prix forces changes at Silverstone's Turn 1

Silverstone has been altered in response to Alfa Romeo Formula 1 driver Zhou Guanyu's crash during the inaugural lap of the 2022 British Grand Prix.

A tardy start by George Russell caused him to collide with Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri, which sent Russell's Mercedes careening into Zhou as they approached the first right-hand turn.

The impact with the newcomer, Zhou, was powerful enough to overturn his car, which then glided along the tarmac on its roll hoop before burrowing into the gravel trap.

Stuck for a moment

Zhou's vehicle became airborne and cleared the tyre barrier before coming to a halt on the catch fencing. The car then dropped between the two safety devices, leaving Zhou stuck in the cockpit temporarily.

Although Zhou avoided any injury, the FIA has increased the rigour of crash testing for the roll hoop this season to lessen the likelihood of it digging in.

READ: PICTURES | Horror crash at Silverstone met with relief as China's Zhou 'okay'

This has been done by decreasing the height at which a revised homologation test will be implemented, with further modifications to the structure expected in 2024.

In the meantime, Silverstone has changed the run-off area at the first corner by removing the gravel bed (roughly 45 meters deep) and replacing it with a larger section of asphalt.

"We've done a load of work this winter. There's a big piece of asphalt out the front rather than the gravel," Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle told Motorsport.com.

"This is to stop them digging in. It's the digging in bit that was the real issue there."