F1 is singing in the rain as it returns to Singapore for the first time in three seasons. Despite the rain and a delayed start our 2022 Singapore Grand Prix Results, Lap by Lap Review & Summary is no damp squib.
Our review covers what happened in the race so you don’t have to with our laps that matter. Plus we throw in our Race Ratings, the Best (Great) and Worst (Grape) drivers of the race weekend.
The 2022 Singapore Grand Prix Results, Lap by Lap Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a small serving of cynicism. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
And why not check out our latest Grand Prix Power Rankings which highlight our driver of the season so far and the last race.
2022 Singapore Grand Prix Results
THE LAPS THAT MATTERED
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Well here are the top laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the Scene – First look at the TV Coverage presents pouring rain. Great, wet race or a Monaco style farce we ask. Last time we had that much rain it was a balls up at Monaco. Sure enough the race is delayed by an hour despite the rain stopping. Teams apparently need a certain time to do a starting procedure and have anthems and stuff. At least it looks like they will race without a safety car kicking it off. Everyone looks to be starting on Inter wet tyres which should be fun. And Max Verstappen is starting in a lowly-for-him 8th. No doubt it will be a full two hour race, so let’s hope it’s a goodun’.
TOP 10 GRID – LEC PER HAM SAI ALO NOR GAS VER MAG TSU
Lap 1 – Pole sitter Charles Leclerc gets off the line slow like everyone else, but slower than Sergio Perez who takes the lead. Leclerc settles for second. Sainz takes third by bumping Lewis Hamilton off the track just a little at the first corner. Lando Norris makes a flyer and is fifth. Max Verstappen has a shocker, he’s racing Aston Martins and Daniel Ricciardo to give you an indication of how far back he ended up. He’s not stuffing around though, fully jostling for position and up to 10th by lap two. Somehow all the cars manage to not run into each other in a major way on the first lap.
ORDER PER LEC SAI HAM NOR ALO GAS VET TSU VER
Lap 4 Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc are still first and second and well ahead of Sainz in third – five seconds behind. Max Verstappen is making slow progress – up to 9th but a good 21 seconds behind the leader. George Russell, who started from pit lane is up to 17th.
Lap 5 The track is drying but slowly, but the drivers can’t get any heat into the Inter wet tyres, so they will all still be on those for a while. Unless someone is brave/silly enough to try slicks.
Lap 7 First retirement of the race and it is Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou. The TV cameras then switch to a slowing Nicholas Latifi, and so the conspiracy theories commence. Replays show the Williams driver simply moving across the line on Zhou and pushing the Alfa driver into the wall. Latifi pits to fix whatever is broken. They can’t and he is out. Zhou is stopped on track. Latifi won’t really be missed in 2023 will he? Except by us.
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED – this race is scheduled to go to 61 laps. No hope. Lucky to get 50 racing laps done.
Lap 10 – RACE RESTARTS – Drivers hold their position down to 8th place where Max Verstappen takes Vettel’s place. And he steals Gasly’s 7th place a lap later.
Lap 14 Sergio Perez leads impressively at the front. Leading one to scoff at reports Red Bull could replace him. Verstappen v Alonso for 6th is a lot of fun. Alonso holding him off for the last few laps.
ORDER – PER LEC SAI HAM NOR ALO VER GAS VET TSU
Lap 18 Interesting, the wet tyres are starting to fade. But slick tyres seem a little far away. Of course Ferrari are talking about it over the radio. If any team is going to do the wrong thing at the wrong time it will be Ferrari based on their 2022 season of strategy triumphs. Max Verstappen is asked over the radio about conditions, he quickly says “too wet”. Case closed. Await Ferrari slicks move.
Lap 21 Verstappen finally gets past Alonso. Sadly it is because Alonso has pulled over and retired. His 350th race ends in DNF, but he is as competitive as ever.
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
Lap 22 Here we go….George Russell who was 16th or something pits for slicks, presuming acting as a guinea pig for Lewis Hamilton. Virtual Safety Car doesn’t help get heat into the tyres, but at least we have something interesting to keep an eye on.
Lap 23 Race resumes. Positions hold for now as Lewis Hamilton continues to pressure Carlos Sainz for no reward. Max Verstappen sets fastest lap now he has some fresh air.
Lap 24 As for George Russell, he is three seconds slower in just the first sector than the leader. But by lap 26 he is setting his fastest times of the race.
Lap 26 TV camera switch to a Williams in the wall (check notes) well Latifi is already out so must be Alex Albon. He keeps his engine running, so will have to get back to the pits noseless but he stays in the race. No he doesn’t, he’s out when gets to the pits.
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR IS DEPLOYED
Lap 27 Race resumes. Time for an order, although not much has changed.
ORDER – PER LEC SAI HAM NOR VER GAS VET STR RIC
Lap 28 Esteban Ocon doubles down the Alpine retirements, it looks a mechanical issue from the replay.
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR IS DEPLOYED
Lap 30 Race resumes. Verstappen and Hamilton nearly trip themselves up behind Norris and Sainz respectively as the race resumes.
Lap 33 Lewis Hamilton is into the barrier!!! He is able to rejoin and looks to be without damage and is deliciously in between Norris and Verstappen. Joy for that battle. Replays shows he just went straight on under braking.
Lap 34 George Russell sets the fastest second secotr of the race. The pit stops for slicks are about to explode. Gasly is first from 7th.
Lap 35 Charles Leclerc pits for slicks from 2nd. He rejoins 3rd. Lewis Hamilton also pits for slicks and a new front nose. Vettel too.
Lap 36 Perez, Sainz, Verstappen all pit. Perez keeps lead, Leclerc second but a mile behind Perez now. Two McLarens haven’t pitted in 3rd and 5th. Sainz and Verstappen either side.
Tsunoda is in the barrier. And he’s stuffed it right into the barrier too. This will be a full safety car. Which will help the McLarens who have yet to pit and do so soon enough. What joy for Daniel Ricciardo who will only drop to 6th. Ricciardo takes soft tyres to mediums for everyone else. Could be very interesting.
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
ORDER – PER LEC SAI NOR VER RIC STR VET HAM GAS
35 mins to go – Race resumes – the countdown clock has started ticking with 35 minutes to go rather than how many laps. So not exactly sure what lap it is.
Max Verstappen outbrakes himself and goes straight on with smoke pouring from the tyres and or brakes. Verstappen drops to 8th, and just comes out in front of Lewis Hamilton. What joy. But he drops to last with another pitstop for new tyres.
He isn’t last for long, as George Russell is slowly going around the circuit heading to the pits to fix a puncture. Caused by a clash wit hone of the Haas drivers.
This leaves McLaren 4th and 5th, how nice when their Championship rivals Alpine have both retired.
ORDER – PER LEC SAI NOR RIC STR VET HAM GAS BOT
30 mins to go Sergio Perez’s hard work is undone by the Safety Car and Leclerc is all over the leader challenging him for the win. Perez radios about issues with his engine. This could be interesting.
27 mins to go DRS is enabled, conveniently in time to help Leclerc challenge Perez.
23 mins to go Leclerc has a good sniff of overtaking Perez but he thinks better of it for now. That’s as close as he is going to get.
10 mins to go Perez has stretched the gap to Charles Leclerc and is safe now without an error. Max Verstappen has caught Lewis Hamilton for 8th. Perhaps one last burst of entertainment left in the race. And we don’t count Fastest Lap battle as entertainment.
5 mins to go Verstappen v Hamilton joins up with the Aston Martins. Max could finish as high as 6th after his charge from the back.
2 mins to go Hamilton overcooks his move on Sebastian Vettel and goes straight on and hands over 8th place to Verstappen.
FINAL LAP – Perez shows he is the master of changeable conditions and street circuits this season and wins the Singapore Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc was a few seconds behind, which could have been a good result with Max Verstappen in 7th if Ferrari hadn’t stuffed 2022. Happy news for McLaren with their care 4th and 5th which sees them jump Alpine in the Team trophy. Verstappen got past Vettel further back.
Hopefully the stewards investigation into his Safety Car restarts doesn’t mean a penalty a long time after the race.
FINAL ORDER – PER LEC SAI NOR RIC STR VER VET HAM GAS
2022 Singapore Grand Prix Results
RACE RATING
Was it a good race, loads of action, tense, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest.
We rate the big race itself so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 4 / 10
Max Verstappen could have won the Championship if he won here with loads of other results but he had to settle for 7th after a team issue in qualifying saw him start 8th. No matter, he can win the title next race without doing anything too big. The extra points is for McLaren who made up the gap and overtook Alpine for 4th in the Championship.
ON TRACK ACTION – 6 / 10
Some battles, and some overtaking, a few cars into the wall for fun, but the wet track and tyres made it very hard to overtake and so even Max Verstappen took ages to get past cars he would have given windburn to on his way through in previous races.
ENDING 5 / 10
Pretty disappointing for a wet race if we’re honest/miserable buggers. But Verstappen v Hamilton kept us awake a little longer.
OVERALL RATING 15 / 30
A good win for Sergio Perez, and some impressive drives, but overall the race dragged on. Starting an hour late if you live n Australia hurts. More was less.
2022 SEASON RATINGS SO FAR
Want to know what we thought of previous races? Or which ones to to back and watch?
R1 Bahrain Grand Prix 26/30
R2 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 21/30
R3 Australian Grand Prix 16/30
R4 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix 17/30
R5 Miami Grand Prix 19/30
R6 Spanish Grand Prix 17/30
R7 Monaco Grand Prix 24/30
R8 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 22/30
R9 Canadian Grand Prix 21/30
R10 British Grand Prix 26.5/30
R11 Austrian Grand Prix 24/30
R12 French Grand Prix 17/30
R13 Hungarian Grand Prix 23/30
R14 – Belgian Grand Prix 17/30
R15 – Dutch Grand Prix 21/30
R16 – Italian Grand Prix 11/30
Season Average – 22.2 / 30
2022 Singapore Grand Prix Results
GREAT & GRAPE OF THE RACE
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. Five points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
It used to be called the good, bad and ugly, but everyone is using that now. And who doesn’t like grapes.
THE GREAT-EST – SERGIO PEREZ
His best race in 2022 and probably his best win ever. He led from the front after taking first place from his 2nd grid slot. Proves yet again when a race is out of the norm he is the man to go to.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
CHARLES LECLERC – Good pole position on the Saturday, and he’d take second place too on the Sunday. Thrashed his team mate, had a chance of winning but outclassed on the day/night.
MCLARENS – Both Lando Norris and Daniel Riccardo ended up in the top five. Norris could potentially have wanted more but fourth is still great. Daniel Ricciardo’s 5th place is amazing, and one that relied on patience and a slice of luck and the right strategy luck too. Nice for him to have a decent result before he signs off for McLaren and probably F1.
ASTON MARTINS – A solid 6th and 8th finish for both Aston Martin drivers. Lance Stroll doing a particularly quiet achiever job with his 6th place.
THE GRAPE-EST – LEWIS HAMILTON
Not based on his performance but the end result. Was shooting for victory but ended up 9th. He got stuck behind a much slower Carlos Sainz and watched the top two disappear. Then he blew whatever chance he had by going into the barrier towards the end of the race.
DIS-HONOURABLE MENTIONS
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Had to abort his last lap in qualifying which left him 8th. A poor start saw him drop as low as 13th before making his way back up the field. Like Hamilton, he also went straight on under braking too, but managed to recover to 7th. Still, he has the Championship basically in his back pocket, so can afford to have an off weekend.
NICHOLAS LATIFI – Ran Zhou into the wall and ultimately had to retire himself. Another DNF in an F1 career that only has a few races to go.
YUKI TSUNODA – Buried his car into the barrier causing yet another Safety Car. Lucky he has been re-signed for next season already.
FERNANDO ALONSO – Like Lewis Hamilton, was hoping for more. A cruel DNF cost him a big haul of points and perhaps an outside chance of a podium with all the safety cars.
2022 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated.
