Singapore Grand Prix – Sergio Pérez wins after two hours of racing but is subject to an investigation

After over 2 hours of racing and a delayed start due to rain, it is Sergio Pérez who wins the Singapore Grand Prix, marked by six retirements due to driver errors and technical issues. The Mexican led the majority of the race at Marina Bay, ahead of Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

As all the drivers started on intermediate tires, we note the very good start by Sergio Pérez who overtakes Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz who gains the advantage over Lewis Hamilton, as the Briton started further on the outside of the track. On the other hand, Max Verstappen suffered from a completely missed start, temporarily getting stuck on the track, which cost him four places, while he was already in eighth position. Among the most successful starts, we note Sebastian Vettel’s surge, gaining 5 places, and Daniel Ricciardo, who gains three places.

George Russell will leave the pit lane after engine parts were changed under Parc Fermé conditions, and will make contact with Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo on the 7th lap in a failed overtaking attempt, resulting in Russell spinning off onto an escape road before rejoining the track. The collision with the Finnish driver will slightly damage the front wing of his car. The British driver will remain stuck at the back of the pack throughout the race, unable to make up for lost time due to his penalty.

After a contact with Nicholas Latifi, Ghanyu Zhou is forced to retire at the 5th corner, on the 7th lap. After a report with a simple yellow flag, the race direction finally decides to bring out the safety car in the following lap. The Canadian comes into the pits to change his wing, but his race will end here due to too much damage.

The safety car comes in on lap 10. After a fierce battle for 7th position between Pierre Gasly, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen, the Dutchman finally manages to overtake the German on lap 11, before getting the upper hand on the Frenchman. The Red Bull driver continues his comeback by challenging Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris, who are in 6th and 5th position.

At the front, the gap widens to over 10 seconds between the two Ferraris, while the gap between Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc exceeds 2 seconds on the 19th lap. The gap remains stable between Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, who is still in third position after his very good start.

Plenty of (virtual) security cars

As the race was picking up pace, on lap 21, Fernando Alonso was forced to retire due to an engine issue, triggering a virtual safety car. The driver, who is celebrating his 350th Grand Prix and is the most experienced Formula 1 pilot, will not make it to the end of the celebration at Marina Bay.

Following this intervention, and while all the drivers were previously on intermediates, George Russell is the first one to go through the pit lane and opts for the mediums, giving himself a nice scare with a drift at the pit lane exit.

The virtual safety car is then called again on lap 26, after Alex Albon crashed into the wall, an error that also forced him to retire. Then, on lap 28, it is Esteban Ocon’s turn to be struck by a technical problem, which also ends his race. A forgettable weekend for Alpine, as these two retirements bring joy to McLaren, who moves up to 4th in the constructor’s championship, thanks also to good performances from Lando Norris (4th) and Daniel Ricciardo (5th).

In round 33, it’s Lewis Hamilton who crashes into the barriers. He loses his position to Lando Norris, who therefore takes fourth place.

Ferrari eventually brings in Charles Leclerc to fit him with medium tires, a missed pit stop that will take over 5 seconds. Sergio Pérez will also make a pit stop, followed by Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen.

This parade in the pitlane will be followed by a crash from Yuki Tsunoda, which will cause a new safety car and mark the sixth retirement of this Singapore Grand Prix. The race will resume with 35 minutes remaining on the track. On the restart, Max Verstappen makes a mistake by locking his tires and loses valuable positions. The Dutchman will not manage to do better than 7th place.

At the end of the race, and while the pressure from Charles Leclerc was sometimes very insistent, it was ultimately Sergio Pérez who managed to prevail in Marina Bay. Although the Mexican driver is under investigation by the FIA, which will take place after the race, regarding a possible violation of not respecting the distance with the safety car, his victory seems, at first glance, not threatened. He could potentially receive a five-second penalty, but Charles Leclerc was more than 7 seconds behind the Red Bull driver at the finish line. This is a story to be followed.

So we’ll have to wait for the Japanese Grand Prix, next weekend, to hope to see Max Verstappen crowned for his second world championship title. Unless other surprises come to Suzuka…

What. A. Performance! #SingaporeGP @SChecoPerez pic.twitter.com/6JzwFTVHFX

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2022

The ranking of the Singapore Grand Prix