Lando Norris finishes in P6 in dramatic British Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz won his first-ever Formula 1 race this afternoon after fighting his way past Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in an exhilarating 10-lap shootout to the chequered flag following a safety car period. 

Sergio Pérez finished second, with Lewis Hamilton third after he forced his way around Leclerc, who was left out on old rubber, with four laps of the 52 laps remaining.

Championship leader Max Verstappen limped home in seventh after he sustained a puncture and damage to his Red Bull car's bodywork.

A record crowd of 142,000 fans in Northamptonshire watched Sainz - a former McLaren teammate of Norris - claim his maiden win in a race that started in extraordinary fashion.

Rookie Zhou was approaching the 160mph opening Abbey corner when British driver George Russell tagged the right rear of the Chinese driver’s Alfa Romeo, sending him sliding upside-down off the circuit.

Zhou continued through the gravel at high speed with sparks flying before he slammed into the tyre barrier and was launched into the fencing.

I’m ok, all clear. Halo saved me today. Thanks everyone for your kind messages! pic.twitter.com/OylxoJC4M0

— 周冠宇 | Zhou Guanyu 🇨🇳 (@ZhouGuanyu24) July 3, 2022

Fans and photographers ducked for cover as Zhou’s machine settled on its side between the tyre wall and fencing.

An extraction team rushed to Zhou and the 23-year-old, in just his tenth race, was carefully removed and taken away in an ambulance to the medical centre before being discharged.

Williams driver Alex Albon was taken to Coventry hospital for precautionary checks after making contact with Yuki Tsunoda and hitting a barrier just behind Zhou's crash.

The race was immediately red-flagged but, as the cars made their way back to the pits, five protesters stormed the circuit at the 200mph Wellington Straight before sitting down on the track.

The protesters were dragged away by marshals as a number of drivers sped by.

The race restarted after a 53-minute delay, with Norris, 22, enjoying an early battle with Lewis Hamilton in front of their home support.

On lap 10, Verstappen, hot on Sainz’s tail, moved into the lead after the Spaniard ran off the track through Becketts. Two laps later, the Dutchman was in the pits with a puncture after he appeared to run over debris.

Race winner Carlos Sainz (centre) with Red Bull's Sergio Perez (left) and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton on the podium. Picture: Tim Goode, PA Wire

Sainz was soon under pressure from Leclerc and, after toing-and-froing with the pit wall, team principal Mattia Binotto gave the order for the scarlet cars to swap positions.

Suddenly, a fast-charging Hamilton was in the mix and after the first round of pit stops, he was just six seconds off the lead.

Then, Esteban Ocon broke down in his Alpine and the safety car was deployed with a dozen laps to go. Leclerc stayed out – a decision Ferrari later came to regret – with Sainz, Hamilton and Perez all stopping.

The race re-started on lap 43 and Sainz made short work of getting past Leclerc with Pérez and Hamilton eventually following suit after a number of spellbinding laps.

Fernando Alonso took fifth, one spot ahead of Norris, with Verstappen holding off Mick Schumacher on the line to take seventh.

The result means Somerset driver Norris has gained eight world championship points after finishing in the same position he qualified in.

He now sits in seventh in the drivers' world championship with 58 points, sandwiched between Hamilton and Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas.

His McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo finished in thirteenth after being eliminated in the second round of qualifying yesterday.

Additional reporting by Philip Duncan, F1 correspondent, PA news agency