Red Bull Contentpool

F1 News

Perez didn't get the gift in Singapore: 'It was simply survival'

Perez didn't get the gift in Singapore: 'It was simply survival'

03-10-2022 07:20
1

GPblog.com

At the Singapore Grand Prix, things did not all go smoothly for Sergio Perez. The Mexican had to survive on slicks and, according to Helmut Marko, there was also a problem with the engine.

After a strong start, Perez hardly got into trouble at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The Mexican recorded his fourth F1 victory, again on a street circuit. Yet it was not all plain sailing. Speaking to Auto, Motor und Sport Perez in fact explained that the final phase of the race was quite exciting.

It was not easy for Perez

''On the intermediates, I was able to control the tyres and the pace. On the slicks, it was simply about surviving and not ending up in the wall. Half of the track was dry enough for slicks, but the other half was good enough for intermediates. I had some exciting moments,'' said the Mexican after the GP.

Besides the moments on the slicks, things also went wrong behind the second safety car. ''The humidity didn't do the engine much good,'' Marko commented. ''There was a drop in performance. We had to adjust the 'mapping' and then it worked again,'' said the Austrian.

Perez also faced an additional challenge in the final laps. Namely, he had to make sure the gap with Charles Leclerc was bigger than five seconds for a possible penalty. Perez managed to do so and just as well because after the race the Red Bull driver indeed received a reprimand and a five-second penalty.