Max Verstappen could put the champagne away for now.
Verstappen’s seventh-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix put the Formula One championship on hold for the Dutch racer as Sergio Perez took home the victory Sunday.
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Perez was 7.6 seconds ahead of second place-finisher Charles Leclerc. Perez’s teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished in third place. He was being investigated after the race for a potential safety car violation, and if it were determined to have occurred, he would have been docked five seconds, but he would still have been covered.
“It was certainly my best performance. I controlled the race,” Perez said. “The last few laps was so intense, I didn’t feel it that much in the car, but when I got out I felt it. I gave everything for the win today.”
He was asked about the potential safety car violation.
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“No, I have no idea what’s going on. They just told me I was under investigation, [and] to increase the gap, so that is what we did,” he said, via Formula1.com.
It was Perez’s second win of the season. He won the Monaco Grand Prix in May and will have four career wins if the result holds.
The win also ends Verstappen’s streak. He had one each race from the French Grand Prix on July 24 to the Italian Grand Prix on Sept. 11. He needed to win Sunday and finish 22 points ahead of Leclerc to be crowned champion for a second straight season.
Verstappen’s seventh-place finish tied for his lowest finish of the season. He also had two retirements in the first three races. He could wrap up the F1 title in Japan next weekend. Should the result hold, Verstappen will be 104 points up on Leclerc and 106 up on Perez.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
