Given Sainz’s renowned prowess in mixed conditions, a strength all the way through his career, it was something of a surprise when Perez / Leclerc were able to drop him fairly comfortably, Lewis Hamilton frustrated at being stuck behind the second Ferrari.
In the cooldown room post-race, both Perez and Leclerc were smiling at just how hard they’d been pushing early in the race on the intermediate tyre, at the same time as trying to ensure they didn’t destroy it, given how slow Singapore is to dry out at night.
It was no different at the end on the medium compound slick Pirellis as a single dry line started to emerge, except in the tricky final sector. Off it, the surface was treacherous, as both Hamilton and Verstappen discovered. Lewis went straight on and had to extract himself from the tyre barrier, and Max had a spectacular lock-up when, with low pressures at a safety car restart, he bottomed out over a bump and lost time down an escape road trying to pass Lando Norris.
Two safety car restarts had left Perez open to sanction when he dropped more than the regulation 10 car lengths behind the safety car. It brought unwanted pressure at the end, with the team advising him to “disappear” because he could be liable to a post-race penalty. Disappear up the road from the pole position Ferrari that was… Amazingly, he managed to do it.
In the conditions, the race was always going to run to the two-hour maximum and you couldn’t help but recall Sainz’s comments about how draining it is to get those last two or three tenths. With about 20 minutes remaining, Leclerc was right on the Red Bull’s rear wing. Twice, Sergio locked up but rescued himself and, in those moments, you’d have placed your money on the Ferrari.