Perez won F1 in Singapore, Max Verstappen’s Formula One title celebrations were halted after the Red Bull driver finished eighth in Sunday’s tumultuous Singapore Grand Prix.
Perez won his second season race by 7.6 seconds over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. finishing third.
Perez was then given a five-second penalty for failing to stay inside ten lengths of the safety car while following behind. However, the Mexican driver’s margin over Leclerc was sufficient to maintain the victory by 2.6 seconds.
In May, Perez, 32, won the Monaco Grand Prix and has four career victories.
“I controlled the race,” Perez remarked of his most excellent performance. “The last few laps were so powerful that I didn’t feel it in the vehicle, but I felt it when I got out.” “I sacrificed everything I had today to win.”
Perez has had two podium finishes in the previous eight races, which included two retirements. Despite admitting that his form had decreased, he saw some criticism of his performances as unfair.
“This win means a lot to me because I’ve had a hard stretch in the last few races,” he remarked. “The media in Formula One magnifies it… a lot.” Maybe it’s because I’m just a Mexican, and if I don’t finish two races in a row on the podium, I’m having the worst season ever, and Red Bull should let me go.”
Christian Horner, team principal, described Perez’s drive as “world-class,” adding that “it would have been a tremendous pity.” “if the victory to have been revoked
Verstappen’s equal-lowest finish this year matches his seventh-place finish in the British Grand Prix in July. He also retired twice in the first three races.
Verstappen had won the previous five races but needed to win here and finish 22 points clear of Leclerc to win the championship for the second time in a row. That may happen at the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend. Honda manufactures the engine used by Red Bull.
“I think it’s great that Max got it in Japan.” “Perez stated. “For both the team and Honda.”
Verstappen leads 104 points ahead of Leclerc and 106 points ahead of Perez with five races remaining, including a sprint race in Brazil.
Following AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda’s crash on Lap 36, Verstappen made a mistake after the second safety car restart. When Verstappen attempted to pass Lando Norris’ McLaren, his tires locked, and he had to pit again.
“It’s not where we want to be, but that started yesterday,” Verstappen added, referring to a team blunder in qualifying that resulted in him starting eighth and Leclerc on pole for the season-leading ninth time.
Due to heavy rain on the Marina Bay Circuit track, the race start was pushed back from 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) to 9:05 p.m. (1305 GMT). The 61-lap race had to be completed within a two-hour time limit.
Due to the hazardous conditions, the virtual safety car was deployed three times, and DRS was permitted with roughly 30 minutes remaining.
Perez got a fantastic start and passed Leclerc, but Verstappen dropped several positions.
“I pushed all the way, the terrible start put us on the back foot, and it was challenging to race after that.” “Leclerc explained. “A hard race, a good night’s sleep, and we’ll be ready for Japan.”
On Lap 8, Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo was cut off by Nicholas Latifi’s Williams, resulting in the first safety car.
Verstappen moved into eighth place behind Fernando Alonso, whose record 350th F1 race disappointed when his engine failed on Lap 21, resulting in the first VSC.
With the track still damp, drivers opted against switching to faster tires, except for Mercedes’ George Russell, who fought for grip.
Lewis Hamilton made a rare error on Lap 33, crashing into the crash barrier. The leading drivers soon changed tires in a flurry of stops. They did so immediately before the safety vehicle was deployed again because of Tsunoda’s mistake.
Verstappen overtook Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin right at the end of a poor race for the title leader.
“Of sure, it’s better than seventh, but with a car like that, it’s not what I’m here for.” “Verstappen explained. “It was (very) sloppy.”
On a successful day for McLaren in the constructors’ championship, Norris finished fourth ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Lance Stroll of Aston Martin led Verstappen, with Vettel, Hamilton, and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly filling out the top ten.
Russell began from the pit lane after incurring grid penalties due to several engine-part changes. He came in 14th place.
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Summary
Sergio Perez wins Singapore Grand Prix. Sergio Perez given a five-second penalty for failing to stay inside ten lengths of the safety car. Leclerc leads Perez by 22 points with five races remaining. Leclerc starts on pole for season-leading ninth time. Virtual safety car deployed three times during 61-lap race due to wet conditions.
