Zhou Guanyu crash: George Russell abandoned his car to run and help Alfa Romeo driver

George Russell valiantly rose from his punctured car to rush to the aid of Guanyu Zhou after a collision resulted in a severe, lurching crash for the Chinese driver.

Zhou has escaped potentially serious injury after violently spinning upside down into a fence before the very first turn of the 2022 Silverstone Grand Prix, with the red flag pausing the affair after just 21 seconds.

Mere moments after lights out, the pair, starting eighth and ninth on the grid respectively, unfortunately became entangled as they looked to establish themselves and climb toward the forefront of the pack.

With Zhou skidding across the rough and slamming into the fence, Russell’s compassion for his ravaged fellow driver was clear as his first thought was to rush to his aid and remove him from the debris.

Zhou was extracted from the ruined car after a few minutes, and his team, Alfa Romeo, swiftly confirmed the driver’s status: “Following a crash at the start of the British Grand Prix, Zhou Guanyu is conscious and now at the circuit’s medical centre to undergo evaluation.”

Meanwhile, Russell sees a fine streak of five successive top-five finishes snapped as he retires from race duty for the first time since joining constructor champions Mercedes for the start of the current race season.

Williams driver Alexander Albon also retired in the wake of the crash, with several others reporting damage to their vehicles following the high-speed incident.

first instinct was to help zhou we dont deserve george