Perez wins Singapore Grand Prix with Hamilton hitting barrier and Verstappen having to wait for title after coming 7th
SERGIO PEREZ was awarded a controversial victory in the Singapore Grand Prix to kick off a HUGE week for F1.
The Mexican won the race on Sunday but had to wait until Monday morning before his victory was finally confirmed by the FIA after a lengthy investigation.
The focus was whether the Red Bull man stuck within the rules of remaining within 10-car lengths behind the safety car during the race, which was hit by a terrific downpour before the start.
Incredibly, Perez had argued that his F1 car had struggled to keep up with the safety car on the slippery track, while at other points he was much quicker.
He later claimed: "I am pretty confident there is nothing with it because there was a bit of miscommunication with them.
"On the places I could keep up, he [the safety car driver] was super slow and then when I couldn't, he was fast.
"These conditions are not normal and especially the final sector. It was super tricky. I think the stewards understood my explanation and are happy with it."
However, in a confusing statement - while the FIA initially REJECTED his claim for the conditions, the following paragraph of their statement said they ACCEPTED his explanation.
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To make matters worse, Perez was first given a warning during the race and then had a post-race reprimand after the investigation.
He was then slapped with a five-second post-race penalty for another breach.
Crucially, not enough to change the outcome of the race with Charles Leclerc finishing some 7.5 seconds behind.
The FIA statement said: "When questioned during the hearing, Perez said that the conditions were very wet and that it was very difficult to closely follow the safety car with little heat in his tyres and brakes.
"Although the track was wet in parts, we do not accept that the conditions were such as to make it impossible or dangerous for Perez to have maintained the required less than a 10-car length gap.
"Nevertheless, we took into account the wet conditions and the difficulties highlighted by Perez as mitigatory circumstances for this incident and, accordingly, determine that a reprimand ought to be imposed."
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For the second investigation, the FIA added: "As this was the second breach of Article 55.10 by Perez during the race and followed an express warning from the Race Director, we determined to impose a five second time penalty on Perez.
The FIA's handling will come in for scrutiny in a landmark few days for F1 which could have massive implications.
On Wednesday, Perez's Red Bull team will discover whether they have been found guilty of breaking F1's new cost-cap rules to limit their spending.
The outcome could even see Max Verstappen stripped of his championship last year, such is the severity of the punishments available.
Meanwhile, Verstappen was left furious after he was denied a chance to wrap up the title after making two mistakes.
First, he made a poor start on the slippery track and was caught up in a tangle with Kevin Magnussen in 12th place and was 13 seconds off race leader Perez after the first lap.
And on lap 40, he locked up and flat-spotted his tyres as he frantically pushed for a way forward that never materialised.
The Dutchman, who has been faultless all season, eventually finished in seventh place meaning he now has a 104 point lead over Leclerc in the championship.
He'd need to leave next weekend's Japanese GP with at least 112 points over the Ferrari man to clinch the title.
He said: "It was frustrating. At the start with the anti-stall I lost more spots [on my grid position] so you then put yourself in an even more difficult position to have a good result.
"I got back in the points, but it is of course not what we wanted and we cannot ask for miracles."
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was also guilty of making a costly mistake as he duffed his Mercedes into the barriers, putting an end to his chances of earning his first win of the year.
The Brit started in third place but was down a spot on lap one and found himself stuck behind the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
As he grew frustrated as Perez and Leclec pulled away up ahead, he tired to force his way past the Spaniard.
And he lost his concentration on lap 33 and duffed his car into the barriers, damaging his car which forced him to pit for a new front wing.
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Hamilton was quizzed about his brush with the barrier and said: "I knew it was all over from then.
"These things happen. I am not going to punish myself for a mistake. It was very tricky conditions for everyone and the problems we have with this car are magnified in the wet. It is a very very hard car to drive in the rain."