Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez claimed victory on Sunday at the 2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, despite a safety car penalty and a constant challenge from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the very wet conditions.

Leclerc came in second, 7.5 seconds behind Perez, while fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished third, 15 seconds after the winner. Perez was given a 5-second penalty post-race but kept the win thanks to the sufficient gap over Leclerc.

Leclerc started the race in the pole position, with Perez also at the front of the grid. Leclerc suffered some wheelspin at the start, which meant Perez was able to jump into the lead, a position he would hold onto through to the end of the race.

Behind them, Sainz made a brilliant move at the first corner to pass Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton and claim third position. Further back, Red Bull's Max Verstappen suffered a poor start, was forced across the run-off area at the first corner, and dropped down to 12th as a result.

2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix - Photo credit: Getty Images

2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix - Photo credit: Getty Images

The race featured several safety car periods, both real and virtual, each time after a driver crashed into the barriers or stopped on track. The first was when Williams’ Nicholas Latifi and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu tangled in the first sector. At the restart, Verstappen was seventh, stuck behind Alpine's Fernando Alonso, though Verstappen eventually passed him on lap 21.

A virtual safety car period arose due to a crash by Williams' Alex Albon and a power unit failure for Alpine's Esteban Ocon. In a virtual safety car period, the race cars have to slow down and maintain their positions, but no actual safety car comes out on the track. This was followed by another safety car period when AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda ran into the barrier. It was during this period that Perez was noted by the stewards for getting too close to the safety car, for which he would later be given his penalty.

The safety car eventually left on lap 38, after which Perez managed to build his gap with Leclerc, and the race ending by reaching the two-hour mark. Sainz took third, followed by McLaren's Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo taking fourth and fifth, respectively. Championship-leader Verstappen finished seventh, behind Aston Martin's Lance Stroll.

Following the weekend's action, Verstappen's tally in the 2022 Drivers' Championship has grown to 341 points. Leclerc is second with 237 points and Perez is third with 235 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull leads with 576 points, versus the 439 of Ferrari and 373 of Mercedes.

The world championship stays in Asia as the Japanese Grand Prix is set to get underway this weekend. Like the Singapore race, the Japanese Grand Prix is being run for the first time since 2019.

2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix - Photo credit: Getty Images

2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix - Photo credit: Getty Images

Below are the full results from the 2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix:

1) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +2.595 seconds
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +10.305 seconds
4) Lando Norris, McLaren +21.133 seconds
5) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +53.282 seconds
6) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +56.330 seconds
7) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +58.825 seconds
8) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +60.032 seconds
9) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +61.515 seconds
10) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +69.576 seconds
11) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +88.844 seconds
12) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +92.610 seconds
13) Mick Schumacher, Haas +1 lap
14) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +2 laps
NC) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri - DNF
NC) Esteban Ocon, Alpine - DNF
NC) Alex Albon, Williams - DNF
NC) Fernando Alonso, Alpine - DNF
NC) Nicholas Latifi, Williams - DNF
NC) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo - DNF