Silverstone, July 3 (BUS): Carlos Sainz Jr. won his first Formula 1 race on Sunday with a victory at the British Grand Prix – the most dramatic race so far this season.
It started with a frightening first lap crash and ended with intense wheel-to-wheel battles on podium positions, according to the Associated Press.
Sainz was up front with Charles Leclerc soon, and while Ferrari initially said they were “free to fight”, the Italian team then asked Sainz to let Leclerc skip to avoid wasting time against Lewis Hamilton.
But a safety car showed up and Ferrari got Sainz into the pits for smoother, stronger tyres. Leclerc left on the old hard tires and quickly passed his teammate Sainz to regain the lead and walk away from his first win on his 150th start in Formula One.
Sergio Perez overtook Hamilton and Leclerc after the start of the second half and finished second behind Sainz.
Hamilton was briefly second after passing both Perez and Leclerc in a triple move, but he couldn’t hold onto the position and slipped back to fourth.
Hamilton then overtook Leclerc in a fierce battle for third place. He also led Sunday laps for the first time this season.
Leclerc was later seen speaking to him privately by Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.
Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 title holder and current standings leader, withdrew from the lead with damage to his Red Bull compound after running over a wreck. He struggled for control and finished seventh.
Perez said his race was a “fantastic comeback” after he fell back early in the race after damage to his front wing during the Leclerc and Verstappen races.
A red flag was put on the race as soon as it started when Zhou and Albon left a first corner crash in need of medical treatment. Choo’s car flipped upside down and cleared a tire block before hitting the fence.
Pierre Gasly had George Russell’s Mercedes slip into the rear wheel of Xu, turning the Chinese driver Alfa Romeo over. While the drivers tried to avoid this collision, Albon crashed into the pit wall.
Cho was treated at the Circuit Medical Center, Alfa Romeo said he was not seriously injured, while Williams said Albon was taken to hospital by helicopter for “precautionary checks”.
insult