Sergio 'Checo' Pérez wins the Singapore Grand Prix despite suffering a penalty

The Mexican driver Sergio

Pérez achieved this Sunday his fourth victory in the Formula 1 world championship by winning the Singapore Grand Prix, relegating the Monegasque Charles Leclerc and the Spanish Carlos Sainz to second and third place, in a race in which the Dutch Max Verstappen was in seventh place.

“I am super happy with this victory, it

because it puts an end to a bad streak in the last races;

Some media in Formula 1 magnify everything, perhaps because I am Mexican, but if I stop being on the podium twice in a row, they say that Red Bull has to kick me out and things like that, "he told the Efe news agency.

The International Automobile Federation imposed a 5-second penalty on Pérez, which did not affect his victory as he had a margin of just over 7 seconds over Leclerc.

"I have no idea," Perez said, "they told me to increase the difference and that's what I did."

Pérez celebrates his victory this Sunday. Vincent Thian / AP

Pérez, born 32 years ago in Guadalajara (Jalisco), achieved his second victory in this championship at the Marina Bay circuit.

“The truth is that it was my best performance.

I controlled the race,”

added Pérez, who won the Monaco GP in May.

“The last few laps were very intense, I didn't feel it in the car but when I got out I felt tired.

I gave it all up for the win,” he added.

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Verstappen had his worst result of the season, along with seventh place at the British Grand Prix in July, and not counting his two early retirements from the world championship.

The Dutchman had won the last five races and needed to take victory and finish 22 points ahead of Leclerc to be crowned champion for the second season in a row.

He will be able to try again next weekend at the Japanese GP.

“It would be nice for Maxi and the team to win it in Japan, because it is the home of Honda”, said Pérez before getting on the podium.

Verstappen leads the championship with a difference of 104 points over Leclerc and 106 ahead of Pérez.

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Verstappen made a mistake after the second safety car restart of the race, caused by the crash of Yuki Tsunoda's AlphaTauri on lap 36. When Verstappen tried to overtake Lando Norris's McLaren, his front tires locked and he had to enter to the pits.

The start of the race was delayed by just over an hour, starting at 9:05pm (local time), in order to remove the water from the track at the Marina Bay Circuit after heavy rain.

The drivers had to finish the race within a two-hour lead.

The treacherous conditions prompted the safety car to be brought in three times and the use of the DRS was allowed in the last half hour.

“It was your best race, you were sensational,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner proclaimed on team radio to Perez.

With information from The Associated Press and Efe news agencies.