BEIJING - Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won his first F1 race in an absorbing British Grand Prix that was restarted after a dramatic Lap 1 crash for Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu.

Having been tagged by George Russell just after the start, Zhou's car flipped upside down and skidded at high speed off the track, with the force of the impact seeing the Alfa Romeo vault the outer barrier and come to rest against the inner catch fencing.

Though there was much concern for Zhou's condition, the Chinese driver was released after precautionary checks at the circuit's medical center, and later posted on social media to confirm he was unhurt.

After a delay of one hour, the race was restarted, and from his pole position, Sainz held the lead until he ran wide at Becketts on Lap 10, allowing Red Bull's Max Verstappen to overtake.

However, Sainz was back in the lead two laps later, as Verstappen slowed with a suspected puncture and came in for fresh tyres.

It subsequently emerged that the problem was with Verstappen's floor, not his tyres, and though the Dutchman would finish the race, the loss of performance ended his chances of contending for victory.