Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner was impressed with Sergio Pérez’s drive at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he took the win after overcoming tough track conditions, several safety car periods and late-race pressure from Charles Leclerc.
Pérez risked losing the win post-race as race control investigated his safety car infringements, but ultimately came away with a five-second penalty which had no impact on the race’s standings.
“That was world class from Checo, it is right up there as one of his best drives. He was always fighting and even though he had a lot thrown his way he managed to stay on top. The safety car could have been a real stumbling block but how many times have we had to deal with a safety car lap and how many precedents are there?
“For us, this time, it really was a none issue. The stewards took their time with it, but they reached the right decision. It would have been an incredible shame to have taken that victory away from Checo. It was a massive result for him and we are super proud of him.”
On the other hand, Horner said that Max Verstappen had an unfortunate race day, with a slow start and a couple of on-track errors that led to a disappointing seventh place finish. Horner did, however, praise Verstappen’s “patience” and ability to keep battling for every position.
“Conversely it has been a tough weekend for Max, he had a lot against him today and while he was very patient, it did not go his way. He kept having to attack the field from some distance, then he spun, then had to pit, then attack from behind again. He was always fighting though, even down to those last few laps. It was a shame but that shouldn’t detract from a spectacular drive from Checo.”
