After Zhou Guanyu’s terrifying crash last season, British GP venue Silverstone tweaks changes at turn 1 run-off area

Zhou Guanyu had a horrific crash at the start of the 2022 F1 British GP that shook the fanbase.

As George Russell had a slow start, Pierre Gasly accidentally collided with the back of his car, sending Russell spinning into the Chinese driver's car at turn one. The contact was enough to flip Guanyu's car. The car kept grazing the off-track asphalt before going airborne and flipping towards the catch fence.

Thankfully, Zhou Guanyu did not suffer from any major injuries, but the crash ignited the debate about fixing some aspects of the track and the roll hoop. The Silverstone track managers modified the first-corner run-off area by removing the large gravel trap and replacing it with asphalt to prevent the roll hoop from digging into the gravel while sliding.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said:

"We've done a load of work this winter. There's a big piece of asphalt out the front rather than the gravel. This is to stop them digging in. It's the digging in bit that was the real issue there."

Apart from that, the FIA also looked into the roll hoop specifications and increased the strictness of crash testing for roll hoops.

These kinds of crashes might be rare in F1, especially compared to how poor safety used to be back in the day. However, when considering an F1 car's speed and G-forces it puts on drivers, one can never be too careful and safe. Hence, these are welcome changes to the Silverstone circuit meant to protect drivers from similar crashes in the future.

---

Zhou Guanyu receives massive praise from Alfa Romeo teammate

Vatteri Bottas poured heaps of praise on his Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu. Looking back at his career in F1 so far, Bottas said that his development curve has been quite steep.

The young Chinese was also appreciated for making fewer mistakes and scoring points. In an interview with Total Motorsport, Bottas said:

"It’s been nice to see his development curve has been pretty steep from the beginning of last year. He became almost like a different driver in a way. (He’s become) much more confident in his driving, feedback, racing and qualifying, so he had a good rookie season overall.

"He made very few mistakes and got some points as well. No doubt, he’s going to get way more points this year, and he’s going to be a good teammate to battle with for sure."

Valtteri Bottas, a teammate of Zhou Guanyu at Alfa Romeo, concluded by saying how the Chinese will be a great driver to battle with, as he has proven his worth to keep his seat in F1.