Formula 1
F1 Title Race Continues As Perez Claims Singapore Grand Prix Win. Max Verstappen's Formula One title celebrations were put on hold after the Red Bull driver placed seventh at a chaotic Singapore Grand Prix, won by his teammate Sergio Perez on Sunday.
Perez's second win of the season saw him crossing the line 7.6 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. in third place.
Perez was subsequently handed a five-second time penalty for not staying within 10 lengths of the safety car when following behind. But the Mexican driver's lead over Leclerc covered him enough to keep victory by 2.6 seconds. It all came down to a mad, timed dash as the two hour window started closing. Sergio Pérez led the race from the get-go after a commanding start as he passed pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, but as the minutes started to dwindle and DRS was enabled, the Ferrari driver began closing in on the Red Bull.
Team principal Christian Horner called Perez's drive world class and said “it would have been an incredible shame" for the victory to have been taken away.
Verstappen's equal-lowest position this year matches his seventh at the British GP in July. He also had two retirements in the first three races.
Verstappen had won the past five races but needed to win here and finish 22 points ahead of Leclerc to be crowned champion for a second straight season. That could happen next weekend at the Japanese GP. Red Bull's engine is made by Japanese manufacturer Honda.
“I think it's nice for Max to get it in Japan,” Perez said. “For the team and for Honda.”
Verstappen is 104 points ahead of Leclerc and 106 clear of Perez, with 138 points left in the remaining five races, including an additional sprint race in Brazil.
The race start was delayed from 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) to 9:05 p.m. (1305 GMT) local time to clear water off the Marina Bay Circuit track following heavy rainfall. Drivers had to finish the 61-lap race within a two-hour window.
Tricky conditions saw the virtual safety car deployed three times and DRS was allowed with about 30 minutes remaining.
Perez made a good start and jumped past Leclerc while Verstappen dropped several places. Then, FIA stewards announced during the race that they would be investigating Pérez for a possible safety car infringement after the race had concluded. Ferrari told Leclerc to stay within five seconds of the race leader in the event Pérez would be served a penalty, but with the simple command “Let's disappear,” the Mexican driver put it all on the line.
With Leclerc finishing second and Carlos Sainz third, the Singapore GP was the first time since the Miami GP in May that Ferrari had two cars on the podium.
Sainz reckoned that the team had learned a lot from the errors made this year, and could build further strength in the next few weeks that could help it into 2023.
Hamilton did score points, but teammate Russell finished last in 14th.
The younger Brit started from the pit lane after adding new power unit elements and never could find his rhythm. Mercedes holds onto third place, just 66 points behind Ferrari, in the constructor standings while McLaren rests in fourth.
Next up: Formula One will pack up and head to the Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, Oct. 9.
