George Russell got out from his car to rush to the aid of Guanyu Zhou after a collision resulted in a severe crash for the Chinese driver.

Zhou has escaped potentially serious injury after violently spinning upside down into a fence at the very first turn of the 2022 British Grand Prix, with the red flag pausing the race 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 front of the pack.

With Zhou skidding across the run off and slamming into the fence, Russell’s compassion for his 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 successive top-five finishes snapped as he retires from a race for the first time since joining constructor champions Mercedes.

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

With the young British driver removed from action for the day, he quickly issued a response to the incident on Twitter, saying:

“First of all, the most important thing is that Zhou is ok. That was a scary incident and all credit to the marshals and medical team for their quick response.

“Obviously gutted to end the race this way and I'm sorry for the team and the fans. Cheering LH on from the garage.”