Zhou reveals fire scare during frightening British GP crash wait
Zhou reveals fire scare during frightening British GP crash wait
Zhou Guanyu has revealed to fearing a fire would start during his anxious wait to escape the wreckage of last weekend's horrific crash at the British Grand Prix.
The Chinese rookie miraculously escaped uninjured after being sent into the catch-fence by a multi-car collision on entry to Abbey, with his Alfa Romeo flipping upside down after contact with George Russell's Mercedes.
Zhou was then trapped between a small gap separating the tyre barriers and catch-fence whilst waiting for attention.
Asked what was going through his mind during the incident, he explained: "When the flip happened, the first thing I tried to do was release my hands off the steering wheel because you never know. You can very easily break your [wrist] very easily with a crash like that.
"Because the car was just rolling along the ground, I knew I would be facing a massive impact because the car wasn't stopping. I tried to lock myself into a position that was the safest, just waiting for the last impact.
"Basically I was just waiting for the last stop hit. When I had stopped, I didn't know where I was because I was upside down."
Explaining his concerns about a potential fire, Zhou added: "The next thing I felt was some leaking, I wasn't sure if it was from my body or from my car.
"So I tried to switch the engine off but it was still on then. I knew that if a fire started then it would be difficult to get out. So I switched the engine off and everything was fine."
Zhou unaware of barrier predicament
Zhou's extraction from the Alfa Romeo was made more difficult by the car's resting place, with the medical response team taking the utmost care in ensuring the driver's safety.
"I didn't realise [where I was] until I saw the picture," said Zhou. "I managed to get myself out and the medic got me into the medical car, but I only realised when I saw the incident afterwards.
"I didn't know what happened, who hit me because I was going straight to the white line into turn one and then all of a sudden there was a massive shunt."
On how he got out of the car, Zhou added: "I had to kind of slide myself out a little bit so at least to have my leg or feet on top of the seat, then they could pull me out.
"[The first marshal] was making conversation with me. He was making sure I was conscious and everything was okay and if I remembered what happened."
Additional reporting by Ian Parkes
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 legend OFFENDED by F1's rejection of Andretti's bid
- 51 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Horner and Red Bull saga to reignite as Perez makes 'game over' admission
- 1 hour ago
F1 boss holds talks with Prime Minister about potential new race
- 1 hour ago
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
- 2 hours ago
Horner Red Bull saga set to reignite with FIA 'evidence' hearing
- 3 hours ago
F1 set for talks over RADICAL change to points rules
- Today 08:27
Related news
F1 team to change names between races in 2024
‘If Shrek was in F1’ - Fans BLAST team’s new 2024 car
F1 team announce SIGNING of 'remarkable' driver ahead of 2024 season
F1 team hint new livery with Drake video tease
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860