The finish line of the Singapore Grand Prix turned out to be unattainable for many participants in the race – half a dozen pilots retired prematurely. The wet track made the leaders err, which made the sensation possible. Three penalties and a trial after the finish could not deprive Sergio Perez of victory.

Ferrari’s hopes did not come true.

Fourth victory

The 17th round of the Formula 1 World Championship ended with a sensational result. The victory in the Singapore Grand Prix was pulled out by the Mexican Sergio Perez, who bypassed both his Red Bull partner and season leader Max Verstappen and Ferrari competitors Charles Leclerc with Carlos Sainz Jr. Even the penalty that the rivals were counting on did not prevent Cheko from holding the first position – he took the highest step of the podium for the fourth time in his career.

In qualifying, Perez lost to Leclerc, but in difficult conditions he coped better with the start. The downpour made adjustments to the plans of the organizers – the start of the race was postponed for an hour, but even these measures did not save the participants from rivalry on a wet track. Almost everyone made mistakes, the difference was only in the consequences.

Nicholas Latifi and Guanyu Zhou collided, after which both were unable to continue the race. Fernando Alonso left the race, Alexander Albon had an accident, Esteban Okon and Yuko Tsunoda did not reach the finish line. Experienced difficulties on the track Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen.

Perez got to the finish line without significant misfires, but scored fines along the way. On the 10th, and twice on the 36th laps, the Mexican broke the rules, for which he received a reprimand and a reprimand, a warning from the race director and a penalty of 5 seconds. While the safety car was on the race track, the pilot lagged far behind it, which is a violation of the regulations. Given that Cheko was ahead of the nearest competitor by 7.595 seconds, a five-second penalty was not particularly dangerous for him. However, disputes over punishment continued after the finish.

Reason for fine

– During two different safety cars, Cheko made the same mistake. We expect the penalty to be at least 10 seconds. We are sorry that the decision was not made during the race because Charles attacked and wore out the front tires,” Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto was quoted as saying by Sky Sport Italia.

A penalty of 10 seconds absolutely could not suit Perez, but it was in the hands of the Ferrari leader Charles Leclerc. The stewards of the race began an investigation, having previously called Checo, but could not find a reason to take the first line from the Mexican pilot.

Sergio Perez / Photo: © Mark Thompson / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The victory did not allow Perez to bypass Leclerc in the individual competition – the Monegasque holds the second place, Cheko is still third. However, it was possible to get close to the competitor from Ferrari almost closely; in the remaining races of the season, Charles will hardly feel safe. In the Constructors’ Championship, the Italian stable also failed to fundamentally improve its position, despite a not very successful race for Red Bull leader Verstappen.