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Sergio Perez won the 2022 F1 Singapore GP, pipping Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The Mexican driver started the race in P2 but took the lead at the start in intermittent conditions.
Sergio Perez, however, is still under investigation for a possible safety car infringement, putting his first win in Singapore at risk. The Red Bull driver finished over seven seconds clear of Charles Leclerc in P2 but might be subjected to two five-second penalties for infringing safety car rules.
Leclerc managed to put the Mexican driver under pressure but lost out to Perez in the closing stages, giving him his fourth career victory. The driver is still third in the drivers' standings but is now only two points behind Leclerc, who sits in P2.
Speaking to Paul di Resta in parc fermé, Sergio Perez claimed his performance in Singapore was his best ever. He said:
"Yeah, it was, I think, my best performance. I controlled the race although the warmup was pretty difficult. The last three laps were pretty intense. I really didn't feel it much in the car but when I got out of it, I felt it. I gave everything for the win today."
Change in RB18 development to blame for Sergio Perez's deficit to Max Verstappen, claims Red Bull engineer
Red Bull engineer Pierre Waché claims Sergio Perez is struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen's performance in the second half of the 2022 F1 season due to a change in the RB18's development arc. The car currently suits Verstappen a lot more than the Mexican, with the Dutchman right on the cusp of securing his second world title. With his win in Singapore, however, the Mexican has kept his championship hopes alive, albeit just barely.
The 32-year-old has failed to match Max Verstappen's raw pace, losing out to him on multiple occasions. Red Bull has now admitted that its development plans for 2022 cost Sergio Perez his performance, with the car reportedly favoring Verstappen's style of driving.
Waché said:
"I think there are multiple factors but the main one is clearly the car balance and confidence with it compared to the beginning of the year. When the car was a little bit more balanced for [Perez] and a little bit less for Max, after the potential of development we put on the car during the season, [it] moving away from that is maybe part of it."
Max Verstappen could now win his second title in Japan next weekend if he manages to outscore both his teammate and Charles Leclerc at the end of the race.
