On a race night hyped up in expectation of a Charles Leclerc win or a Max Verstappen comeback, Sergio Perez showcased his mettle.
Perez, having one of his best seasons in F1, did good work to win at one of the toughest tracks in F1. Securing a P2 in qualifying was a good job. Winning the race was even better.
However, F1 seldom is straightforward or bland. To make things interesting, the F1 gods gave us another twist. Perez’s victory was under investigation for over an hour after the race ended. He was not declared the winner officially till then.
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His victory was under the clouds because of two incidents that happened during the safety car was in play. It was contended that he did not maintain a minimum 10-car distance with the Safety car while leading the race. The stewards called him and Red Bull director, Jonathan Wheatley, for their version of events. Post the conversation, Perez sounded hopeful of a positive decision.
However, another pair visited the offices of the stewards. Leclerc and Ferrari director, Inaki Rueda, visited the officials to get a clearer understanding of the situation.
While the uncertainty loomed over his victory, there were suggestions made to the media that Leclerc might end up winning the race. A penalty for the actions would be a 10 seconds time penalty.
Since the gap between Leclerc and Perez was 7.595s, it seemed Leclerc would move to P1. However, as it turns out Perez made it to the finishing line. He cut it very close. The stewards ended up handing him a reprimand and a 5-second penalty.
Read More: New Reports Put a Number on Red Bull’s Cost Cap Breach – “Could Cause an Earthquake”
The gap remained, though very minutely, and Perez was declared the official winner at Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The Sergio Perez decision has clearly divided F1 fans
FIA decided to hand him a 5-second penalty only. That maintains a 2-second gap over Leclerc.
DECISION: One reprimand, one five-second time penalty for Perez. Wow. Keeps the win! #F1 #SingaporeGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) October 2, 2022
Fans were unhappy with how the issue was dealt with by the FIA
It really is a shame that an incredible drive by Perez is slightly overshadowed by the FIA's inability to make a decision
Processes need to be changed.
— Matt Gallagher (@MattyWTF1) October 2, 2022
Sergio Perez is a master of the streets, no wonder he cheated
— MERC (@llntern) October 2, 2022
charles got punished heavily for overspeeding in the pitlane by 0.01kph and now we got perez doing the same infringement 3 fucking times and only got one reprimand and one penalty. y’all are such a joke @fia
— alanis (@leclercrews) October 2, 2022
FIA: 'let's discuss with the team to see what they think'
Red Bull: 'we did nothing wrong'
FIA: 'perfect, that helps with our investigation'
— Matt Gallagher (@MattyWTF1) October 2, 2022
if perez gets away with this, it’s not just a disgrace to the sport but it’s a genuinely dangerous precedent to set. essentially the fia are saying following the rules is optional, and punishments are if and when they feel like it
— jake (@LeclercVZN) October 2, 2022
F1 since last year has been more a show than sport https://t.co/GoX3ssG49m
— 🔥🌶 (@IndycarEnjoyer) October 2, 2022
you guys are a joke honestly https://t.co/bRNvVqYGke pic.twitter.com/OAOcjyLhwR
— ͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏͏vic (@jdoreleclerc) October 2, 2022
because he drives for red bull racing mate, hope this helps👍
— jake (@LeclercVZN) October 2, 2022
Utter joke. We know damn well if Perez won by less than five it would be two reprimands https://t.co/EIIfXzYrLo
— Jim Clark (@ClarkAboveAll) October 2, 2022
Let’s not act surprised. There was no way the stewards were overturning the race result itself. Had Leclerc stayed within 5 seconds, we wouldn’t have even seen one penalty given.
Performative ruling. #SingaporeGP https://t.co/fbGxbkLbYb
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) October 2, 2022
Given the way that the @FIA stewards shamelessly left Perez’s penalty until after the race, where they could then tailor it to the result to ensure he still wins, I think we all know how the #CostCap breach is going to go… https://t.co/cXsC7Fi0vK
— Jay 🏁 (@f1lmer) October 2, 2022
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they probably waited until after the race to see how many seconds to give for penalty based on the final gap between charles and perez so it wouldn’t take away that redbull win
— alanis (@leclercrews) October 2, 2022
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Watch This Story: How a Euphoric Sergio Perez Hilariously Leaked His Red Bull Contract Announcement at Monaco
At the end of the day, one of his best performances in F1 came on a tough track and under even tougher weather conditions. It is unfortunate and far from ideal that the driving will not be the first thing fans remember about tonight. The FIA might have given him the win, but they have also arguably taken it away from him.