The Singapore Grand Prix may have been the most boring chaotic race of the 2022 F1 season with some rain, crashes, and safety car stoppages but ultimately precious few on-track passes or wheel-to-wheel action. Max Verstappen was denied a sixth race win in a row in the 2022 F1 season, but Red Bull still took the top step of the podium as Sergio Perez finished in P1 ahead of the two Ferrari’s of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, respectively.
Only 14 cars ended up finishing what was the longest F1 race of the season so far, and here are the four things we learned from the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix.
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Sergio Perez was crowned as the king of the streets of Singapore as the Mexican drove a stellar race from lap one to take home his fourth Grand Prix win. Perez showed why he deserved that multi-year extension from Red Bull as he showed up for the Austrian team on a weekend where Verstappen faced issues. The 32-year-old took the lead of the race from Leclerc at turn one and defended superbly in the wet and dry from the Ferrari driver to ensure that Red Bull took maximum points at a track not entirely suited to their car.
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It was a weekend to forget for Max Verstappen in the sister Red Bull as the Dutchman limped home in P7 while his team-mate took the chequered flag and top step of the podium. Verstappen’s weekend was initially derailed on Saturday when he had to abort his final pole-setting lap due to a lack of fuel in the car.
Verstappen has ploughed through the field on many occasions to take the victory this season, but starting in P8, it was a frustrating night around Marina Bay for the soon-to-be two-time world champion. Max dropped five places during the opening lap of the race before flat spotting both tyres while attempting to overtake Lando Norris, resulting in an extra pit stop and an eventual underwhelming P7 finish.
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Although Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren has hardly been one to write home about, the Australian driver put in a magnificent showing in Singapore. With Ricciardo on the verge of not having a seat in F1 for 2023 following Oscar Piastri’s move to McLaren, the 32-year-old showed that he still has what it takes to be a top-end driver. Daniel Ricciardo rose from P17 to finish in fifth place in Singapore, rounding up a very profitable weekend for McLaren in their fight for P4 in the constructor’s standing, with Lando Norris taking the fourth spot.
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While there was plenty of action on the track across the weekend in Singapore, the biggest piece of news from the weekend was the cost cap row surrounding Red Bull and their title-winning 2021 season. F1 and the FIA introduced a $145 million cost cap for the 2021 F1 campaign, and the rumours circling the paddock suggest that both Red Bull and Aston Martin exceeded their budget.
The FIA and Formula One are expected to announce its analysis of the team’s financial data by the 5th of October. Any breaches in the cap could result in potential penalties for the team if the overspend is above 5%. Christian Horner, Red Bull, and Max Verstappen vehemently backed the legitimacy of their spending for the previous season. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested that it is an open secret in the paddock that one team has massively breached the spending rules and is still looked after. An overspend of 5% could result in the deduction of drivers’ and world championship points, suspension from championship rounds or a future reduction in cost cap for the team specified.
[Featured Image Credit: F1]
Shivaan Shah