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Sainz wins maiden F1 victory at Silverstone

(Update 1: Adds results and quotes and alters lede and headline)

Sports Desk, Jul 3 (EFE).- Carlos Sainz on Sunday won his maiden Formula One race at a crash-plagued British Grand Prix on the Silverstone circuit.

The Spaniard culminated a perfect weekend that saw him claim his first pole position to earn Spain its 33rd Formula One victory and the first since Fernando Alonso’s 2013 triumph in Barcelona.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing. It’s a very special day I will never forget,” the 27-year-old who led Ferrari to their win of the season told F1 media afterwards.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez came insecond, ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

“We didn’t give up, we kept pushing. They were epic final laps, a great fight between us!” Mexico’s Perez said after staging a jaw-dropping comeback from the last spot.

The Briton, meanwhile, celebrated his second podium appearance in 2022 following his third-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix as he struggles with mechanical issues.

“I gave it everything. Congratulations to Carlos. This is a huge bonus for us to be on the podium. We’ll continue to push as hard as we can,” he said.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Lando Norris (McLaren) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull), respectively.

Mick Schumacher (Haas), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) and Kevin Magnussen (Haas) rounded out the top-10.

The race was interrupted for nearly an hour in the early going after a dramatic multi-car crash that sent the Alfa Romeo of Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu spinning upside down off the track until it flipped over the tyre wall.

The coming together of George Russell’s Mercedes and the Alfa Romeo caused carnage as the race at Silverstone got underway and involved several other drivers including Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Alexander Albon.

Rookie Zhou’s Alfa Romeo flipped before the first corner and slid across the gravel toward the stands, where it flipped again and landed on the other side of the tyre wall next to the fence protecting the spectators.

Zhou was taken to the medical center, where he was reported by race officials to be conscious and not suffering from any broken bones.

“I’m ok, all clear. Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages!” he posted on his Twitter account.

EFE arh/jt-ta-bp

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