A slow launch from George Russell to trigger contact with the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly sent the Mercedes spinning into Zhou on the approach to the Turn 1 right-hander.
The collision with rookie Zhou was enough to flip his car, which then skated on its roll hoop across the asphalt before digging in through the gravel trap.
The Alfa then became airborne to clear the tyre barrier until it was stopped by the catch fencing, although the car then dropped between the two safety devices to leave Zhou temporarily stuck in the cockpit.
While Zhou escaped without injury, for this season, the FIA has increased the stringency of crash testing for the roll hoop to reduce the likelihood of it digging in.
This has been carried out via reducing the height at which a revised homologation test will be applied. Further tweaks to the structure are expected for 2024.
Meanwhile, Silverstone has modified the first-corner run-off by removing the gravel bed (approximately 45 metres deep) to be replaced by a larger section of asphalt.
Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle told Motorsport.com: “We've done a load of work this winter. There's a big piece of asphalt out the front rather than the gravel.
“This is to stop them digging in. It's the digging in bit that was the real issue there.”
Source: Autosport