SINGAPORE —
Sergio Perez won a rain-affected Singapore
Grand Prix on Sunday leaving his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen to wait at
least another week to retain his Formula One world championship.
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The Mexican took
the checkered flag 7.5sec ahead of the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, but could be
stripped of the victory by stewards who were investigating a possible safety
car infringement.
Carlos Sainz was
third to make it a double podium for Ferrari in the night race that started
more than an hour late because of a storm.
It was the first
Grand Prix to be held under lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit since 2019
because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Verstappen had a
mathematical chance to clinch a second world title, but needed to win and have
other results go his way. He finished seventh after a rollercoaster race.
The Dutchman was
always going to struggle after starting eighth on the grid and his task was
made trickier by an early evening deluge that delayed the start till 9:05pm
(1305 GMT).
When the field
eventually tore away from the grid in a shower of spray, Verstappen almost
stalled and dropped back from eighth to 13th.
The 25-year-old
cut through the field before flat-spotting his tires trying to pass Lando
Norris for fourth after a safety car restart.
“I was up with
Lando, and as soon as I braked, the front wheels jumped in the air and I went
straight on,” said Verstappen who was forced to pit for fresh rubber and
dropped to last place.
“It’s not what
I’m here for. Not with a car like that. It was incredibly messy.”
It means his
world championship lead over Leclerc has been cut to 104 points ahead of next
week’s Japanese Grand Prix. Perez is two points behind Leclerc.
Verstappen will
need to be 112 points ahead at the end of next Sunday’s race in Suzuka to
retain his title and can do so if he wins and Leclerc fails to finish second.
Leclerc started
on pole but Perez slipped past before the first turn and drove a perfect race
to hold off the
Monegasque for his second GP win of the season.
“It was
certainly my best performance,” Perez said. “I controlled the race. The last
three laps were so intense. When I got out of the car, I felt it. I gave
everything today.”
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