Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jnr has acknowledged that his victory at Sunday's British Grand Prix was "very special".
Having earned his first-ever pole on Saturday, the Spaniard claimed his maiden Formula 1 win at the 150th time of asking on a dramatic day at Silverstone.
The first lap produced one of the most concerning crashes in recent memory, the Alfa Romeo of Guanyu Zhou flipping over and skidding into the tyres and security fence.
The Chinese driver was eventually stretchered from his car before he was given the all clear, the race itself being delayed for an hour.
Williams driver Alexander Albon was also involved in a heavy crash later in the race and taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary checks.
The closing nine laps of the race saw an intense battle for the podium places with Championship leader Max Verstappen down the field in seventh due to damage to the floor of his car.
However, Verstappen avoided the worst case scenario of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc or Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez prevailing at the finish.
© Reuters
Instead, it was Sainz who got the better of many of the other main contenders, finishing the race just under four seconds clear of Perez.
Speaking afterwards, Sainz said: "I don't know what to say. It's amazing. First race win, 150 races later, with Ferrari, in Silverstone, I cannot ask for more.
"It's a very special day today, I am very happy. Lewis was on it I've heard but we were able to stay on it. I struggled with the balance, it was not easy. But I stayed believing it could still happen. I needed to stay in the race and the safety car came in and we did it.
"I had nerves during the safety card restart, I needed to get it done. Silverstone is a special place for me. My very first race win in Formula 3 and 12 years later I get the same result in Formula One. It's a special result for me."
Lewis Hamilton, who had won the British Grand Prix in the previous three years, held on for third position ahead of Leclerc, with Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth position respectively.
In terms of the Drivers' Standings, Verstappen now holds a 34-point lead ahead of teammate Perez, with Leclerc 43 points adrift of the frontrunner.
After becoming just the fourth different driver to win in 2022, Sainz is in fourth spot, 54 points behind Verstappen ahead of next week's Austrian Grand Prix.
Darren Plant
