Rain, a delayed start of more than an hour, safety cars and a mess of crashes, the Singapore Grand Prix has made a remarkable return to the F1 calendar after three years of absence, Covid-19 pandemic obligatory.
If Max Verstappen, only seventh, has not yet been crowned world champion, Sergio Perez still gave Red Bull a smile by signing a second success this season, the fourth of his career.
The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc, second, and Carlos Sainz, third, complete the podium of a lively race which did not come to an end, stopped after two hours and 59 laps covered out of 61.
To discover
Formula 1: the calendar for the 2022 season
Formula 1: manufacturers' classification
Formula 1: drivers classification
Rain delays Grand Prix, Perez's dream start
Scheduled for 2 p.m. in France, the start of the race was finally given shortly after 3:05 p.m.
The reason ?
Torrential rain battered the streets of Marina Bay for more than two hours making F1 practice impossible.
To avoid a scenario similar to Belgium in 2021, the race direction then delayed the start by one hour and Sergio Perez was on time.
Not Charles Leclerc.
On pole, the Monegasque was swallowed up by the Mexican even before the first corner.
The Red Bull driver didn't know it at the time but he had already claimed victory.
Because for long minutes, the cars simply followed each other in Singapore.
The wet track made overtaking very tricky and the safety cars, virtual or real, followed one another after each other's incidents (Latifi-Zhou, Alonso, Albon or even Ocon).
Starting eighth, Max Verstappen had started his comeback after a bad start which had pushed him back to 12th place.
Seventh after thirteen laps, the Batavian took advantage of Alonso's retirement on lap 22 to climb to sixth place.
He was even propelled fifth after Hamilton's error on the 33rd lap.
Moment when all the drivers switched to rubber for dry track following Yuki Tsunoda's accident which caused a new safety car.
At the start of turn 40,
Verstappen will have to wait at least another week
On the attack on Norris on a still wet spot, the Dutchman locked his wheels and shot straight.
He left last and was forced to go through the pits to change his tyres.
Finally seventh after an attacking end of the race, the reigning world champion will have to wait another week to win a second title in a row.
It could be in Japan as early as next Sunday.
Charles Leclerc, second in Singapore, is now 104 points behind with five races remaining and if Max Verstappen scores eight points more than the Ferrari driver at Suzuka, he will be crowned world champion for the second time in a row.
A matter of time.
