Max Verstappen’s Formula One title celebrations were put on hold after the Red Bull driver placed seventh at a chaotic Singapore Grand Prix, won by his teammate Sergio Perez on Sunday. Perez’s second win of the season saw him crossing the line 7.6 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. in third place.Perez was subsequently handed a five-second time penalty for not staying within 10 lengths of the safety car when following behind. But the Mexican driver’s lead over Leclerc covered him enough to keep victory by 2.6 seconds.
Perez had secured only two podiums in the previous eight races, a run which included two retirements. Although he acknowledged his form dipped, he perceived some of the criticism of his performances as unfair. He stated,” This win is really special for me, because I’ve had a bit of a rough patch in the last few races,”. “The media in Formula One makes it a lot bigger. Maybe because I’m just Mexican and if I’m not two races in a row on the podium, then I’m having a worst season ever and Red Bull should drop me.”
