The race had to be restarted after Zhou’s car flipped upside down and hit a fence shortly after the start.
This took a long time but after examination at the medical center, the driver was finally declared fit.
After the race restarted, Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez damaged their cars and dropped the pecking order allowing Ferrari’s Sainz and Charles Leclerc to establish a strong lead.
But a safety car with 10 laps allowed Perez to make contact again and both he and Lewis Hamilton overtook Leclerc at an encouraging end of the race to secure second and third place respectively.
Sainz, who had also left his teammate behind after the safety car, struggled to contain his emotions after crossing the line first.
“I don’t know what to say, it was amazing,” an emotional Sainz said after the race. “It was a very special day that I will not forget.
“It wasn’t easy, I struggled a lot with balance […] But in spite of all these things, I kept on believing.”
terrible accident
There was a lot of excitement ahead of the race as crowds of global stars were busy lining the grid before the start.
Shortly after the start of racing, the excitement turned to nerves after a heavy collision stopped on the first lap.
Footage shows Zhou’s Alfa Romeo turning upside down in a dramatic incident that also involved George Russell and Pierre Gasly.
Zhou’s car slid upside down on the track and then slid over a tire barrier before hitting the fence.
During a panic for the news, medics turned to the Chinese driver and he was eventually pulled into an ambulance to avoid serious injury.
Williams Racing driver Alex Albon, who was involved in a separate accident as a result of the incident, was taken to Coventry Hospital for a precautionary check-up.
After a long wait, the race resumed with a standing start in the original grid position – which Verstappen overtook Sainz during the first start and Hamilton jumped from fifth to third at the start.
The restart was clean but not without drama. The Ferrari and Red Bull cars battled each other for the top four positions, with Perez damaging his car and falling back into the field after a forced pitstop.
Sainz initially did well to stop Verstappen but the Red Bull driver soon overtook and spread into a familiar lead.
However, it was not long before the defending F1 champion appeared to have received a puncture and damage to the rear of the car.
After a pit stop and his performance hampered, his race was effectively over at Silverstone, much to the delight of some who mocked the driver over the weekend.
When it looked like the race for the two Ferraris would be clear, the safety car lifted the ground again, allowing Perez and Hamilton to fight their way to the podium.
Sainz will be hoping for another win in Austria next week with his first win in the game.