Sergio Pérez called his win in Singapore “the best boost of his career” on Sunday
That was a typically weird but nonetheless very nice event in Singapore.
It always feels a bit strange to eat at 2 am, sleep at 6 am, and then return to work at 3 pm It’s essentially a nighttime event with a few hours of sunlight each day.
The spotlights dominate and dramatically focus the track and pit lane during three days of concentrated F1, which is a good thing, and it was great to be back after three years of enforced absence.
Given the location and the weather, it’s surprising how little we’ve run in the wet in the previous 12 races, but a wet track dominated the outcome of both qualifying and the race.
No daylight or sun to help dry it out, high humidity negating the fact that the track surface temperature was approaching 30 degrees, and especially in the few areas that had been resurfaced or were under structure that would continue to throw water after the rain. was over, the track just refused to dry completely.
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Max Verstappen was left frustrated after finishing seventh at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen was left frustrated after finishing seventh at the Singapore Grand Prix.
We seemed to always be on a knife edge of too dry for intermediate tires and too wet, especially off the line and in the braking areas, for dry tires. Being bold and committing early to slicks used to get punished.
During the hour-long qualifying period we went from lap times of 1min 54s on a fairly wet track on intermediate tires to a pole position of just 1min 49s on slicks on a mostly dry circuit.
Max Verstappen should have been on pole position, but staying off the track for most of the final 12 minutes of Q3 meant he was forced to abandon his final lap from pole position two corners from home in order to have enough fuel. for mandatory technical checks.
Cue to an extremely unhappy championship leader, and he let the team know in no uncertain terms. Just under the surface of the calm and collected 2022 Max 2.0 there’s still quite a bit of temper, but really my take on it, as he heads to an inevitable second championship, is how much pain it is for him to lose pole position and potential victory despite of your current domain and that of the computer.
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Highlights of the Singapore Grand Prix from the Marina Bay street circuit.
Highlights of the Singapore Grand Prix from the Marina Bay street circuit.
Sliding and sliding with brake lockups everywhere, it would be Charles Leclerc taking the lead in a tight pack because basically his mistakes were less costly than others.
Many pundits confidently predicted that the risk of rain for the GP had largely subsided, but the skies opened up some 75 minutes before the race. Singapore is very used to this type of precipitation and has drainage channels to test it, but we still waited until the weather front had completely passed before starting the whole 65 minute late departure procedure. We have to ask ourselves why we carry ‘extremely wet’ tires all over the world if we never race when there is standing water.
Once underway, Sergio Pérez, who started from the front row, kept his rear tires gripped throughout the acceleration phase and led the first corner, which decided the winner as it would turn out. Most impressively, I would spend the next two hours driving a track that proactively invited you to walk through the wall alongside a host of real and virtual pace cars, all with their mirrors full of a scarlet Ferrari with a very determined Leclerc at the side. steering wheel.
Is there a greater sporting challenge that requires you both mentally and physically, as well as personal risk, for two hours?
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Sergio Pérez says it feels ‘super special’ to win the Singapore Grand Prix and hopes the stewards do not take further action over the pace car offence.
Sergio Pérez says it feels ‘super special’ to win the Singapore Grand Prix and hopes the stewards do not take further action over the safety car offence.
Mind you, in historical terms, Sergio was very lucky to only receive a five-second penalty for a second offense for failing to stay within 10 paces of the safety car while leading the pack. Presumably he was able to convince the stewards that with cold tires and difficult conditions, and with the ebb and flow of the safety car and F1 car speeds, everything was acceptable.
And so, quite some time after the race, it was confirmed as a victory that any F1 driver in history would like to have on their CV, such was the challenge and the intensity. From time to time, Sergio is listed as missing for a couple of races, but when challenging opportunities arise, he is the man with a plan and a calm, mature mind.
Once again Leclerc had to suffer through the frustration of not winning a race from pole position. That slight spin of the wheel at the start and the excess of his pit stop combined to prevent him from having any chance of being in front of Perez.
It was a two-three for Ferrari, but just as frustrating, Carlos Sainz struggled to keep up the pace throughout, and with Verstappen’s Red Bull in traffic and having all sorts of adventures, this was a two-horse race out front.
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Lewis Hamilton regrets the lockup at turn seven that sent him into the field and sends his apologies to his Mercedes team after a promising start to the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton regrets the lockup at turn seven that sent him into the field and sends his apologies to his Mercedes team after a promising start to the weekend.
When I was out on the track during practice, it was clear that despite putting in quick laps, the two Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, were working harder behind the wheel, especially compared to the relative magic carpet of the Ferrari. .
And so it turned out with George coming out of pit lane and having various contacts and problems. He was the first to spin the tyres, which served to help everyone else as he struggled to keep up initially and then all of a sudden when they came on it was a huge piece of information when another pace car came along. George would finish 14th out of 14 riders to complete a hugely frustrating weekend.
Lewis wasn’t having much better luck in ninth after braking too late for turn seven and hitting the barriers instead of heading for the escape route. He then attempted a move on Sebastian Vettel on the wet line at Turn 8 and lost to Verstappen, who had also been on the escape route from Turn 7 and was apparently on a permanent recovery ride for two hours.
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Sergio Pérez took the lead from Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen got off to a slow start at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Sergio Pérez took the lead from Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen got off to a slow start at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Lewis has had some discomfort in combat in more recent races, which is probably indicative of a tough car. They will be delighted to see the back of this one.
With Alpine having a double DNF with power unit failure, this left McLaren to take fourth and fifth for Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo to lead the team to fourth in the world championship. Lando did an excellent job, and although he was lucky with the safety car, so was Daniel.
Aston Martin came in sixth and eighth for Lance Stroll and Seb, which was another very strong performance for them as they jumped up to seventh in the constructors’ championship.
As always, the changing conditions energized the race and provided thrills, spills and dangers. I was in awe of the drivers on the night who met and greatly exceeded that particular challenge with such immensely fast and powerful cars.
MEGABYTE
Source: news.google.com