SILVERSTONE, England. – Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed his first Formula One victory on Sunday in a thrilling British Grand Prix halted by a first-lap crash and with the added mayhem of a track invasion by environmental protesters.
Red Bull’s Mexican Sergio Perez was runner-up, 3.779 seconds behind the Spaniard, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes in his home race and taking the fastest lap for a bonus point.
“Yes! We did it! Vamos!” exclaimed a delighted Sainz over the radio after a win that had looked unlikely despite him starting on pole position for the first time and in his 150th race.
“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, a day that I will never forget, a very special weekend in general.”
The victory ended a run of six successive Red Bull victories and made Sainz only the second Spaniard to win a grand prix after double world champion Fernando Alonso, who took fifth for Alpine.
