He had to wait a while after the checkered flag fell but Sergio Perez eventually got
confirmation that he would keep his 2022 Singapore GP victory. The Mexican picked up
his 4th career victory after a superb display of driving around the Marina Bay Circuit.
In the humidity and slippery conditions of Singapore, Perez kept his cool despite having
to handle multiple difficult scenarios from Leclerc, safety cars, and others.
This win for Checo comes at a crucial time in which he's been in a little bit of a slump and
has received quite the harsh criticism for it. With some questioning his abilities and his place
at Red Bull, the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix was the perfect opportunity to silence those unnecessary
critics and also reinvigorate his championship position. So before we break down Perez's race,
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Sergio Perez hadn't started a race on the front row since Baku so his lap t\on Saturday to slot
him in P2 came at a perfect time. Making the most of the conditions, Perez only missed pole
by a few hundredths of a second but in the end in didn't matter. Checo aced the start of the
race and never looked back despite a grueling two hour Grand Prix with many twists and turns.
It wasn't perfect however as a few mistakes behind the safety car nearly cost Perez his
2nd victory of the season. Checo was dished out a 5 second time penalty post race and two
penalty points for failing to stay more than 10 car lengths to the Safety Car.
Penalty aside, Perez managed every safety and virtual safety car restart well and Leclerc
never made any real challenges for the lead. Red Bull aced the switch to slick tyres and
the pitstop as well which helped Perez keep that all important track position.
But Perez's brilliance really shined in the latter stages of the race when the impending penalty
was looming over his head. After DRS was enabled, Leclerc's F1-75 came alive on the medium tyre and
Perez looked to be a sitting duck. But the Mexican managed steady lap times and a cool head while his
younger rival was pushing too hard at times to get passed. This turned the tables and after Perez was
instructed by his race engineer to disappear in case of the penalty, that's exactly what he did.
An 11 lap stint from Lap 49-59 saw Perez lap on average 5 tenths of a second faster than
Leclerc which in turn gave him a margin of 7.4 seconds as they crossed the line. This was a
crucial phase in the race that ended up sealing Perez's victory despite the penalties post-race.
It capped off a superb weekend for the Red Bull driver who desperately needed a good result to
get back onto top form. In a race where World Champions like Hamilton and Verstappen made
errors and actually looked human, it was Perez who kept it all under control despite the pressure.
As the RB18 has gone on a diet throughout the season to shed weight and improve performance,
the balance of performance has shifted in Verstappen's favor clearly.
Perez certainly has struggled more as of late in comparison to the start of the season but was his
recent form worthy of such harsh criticism? In the last five races, Perez's average qualifying
was 5th with his average finishing position at 4th with one podium at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sure his results could have been better but the discussions coming out of some
media publications of Red Bull needing to replace Perez were absolute non-sense.
Comparing him to his teammate Verstappen is always going to be a mismatch as Max is
performing at such a high level that almost every driver would struggle as his teammate.
But Perez's 2022 season has been very solid and a big improvement on his debut year with Red Bull.
He's helped put the team in a position to clinch their first Constructor's title since 2013 and
his recent win puts him back into play for second in the driver's championship. Speaking
after his victory in Singapore, Perez fired back at some of the comments he's
been receiving lately by saying; "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 1 makes it a lot bigger,
maybe because I’m just Mexican. And if I’m not two races in a row in the podium, then I’m having
the worst season ever and Red Bull should drop me and all that sort of stuff that you get to see."
The Singapore Grand Prix was an excellent reminder of the quality of Sergio Perez and the important
role he has at Red Bull. A race that many called the best victory in his career, it came at a good
time that hopefully will see Perez finish off 2022 with more podiums and possibly victories. As his
teammate closes in on a second World Championship, Perez should be highly motivated to make it a Red
Bull 1-2 in the standings and help the team take a clean sweep of all championships this season.
So do you think the recent criticisms of Sergio Perez were unfair and was the
Singapore Grand Prix the best victory in his career? Comment your thoughts down below and
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