Perez penalised for F1 Safety Car breaches but keeps Singapore GP victory

Perez was handed a five-second time penalty and a reprimand for two separate breaches behind the Safety Car, but the punishments do not change the final result. 

The Mexican has also been hit with two penalty points for failing to stay the required distance of 10 car lengths behind the Safety Car, but his second win of the season stands as he finished 7.5s clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the chequered flag. 

• Perez wins eventful Singapore GP as Verstappen waits for F1 title 
• F1 2022 Singapore GP - Full results 

Perez was penalised after receiving a prior warning. 

Regarding the first infringement on Lap 10, the Singapore stewards' noted: "It was admitted while the lights of the safety car were still on, PER failed to keep within 10 car lengths of the safety car between the exit of turn 13 and turn 14.

"When questioned during the hearing PER 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 PER to have maintained the required less than 10 car length gap.

"Nevertheless, we took into account the wet conditions and the difficulties highlighted by PER as mitigatory circumstances for this incident and, accordingly, determine that a reprimand ought to be imposed."

For the second incident, which occured on Lap 36, the stewards' ruled: "It was admitted that while the lights of the safety car were still on, PER failed to keep within 10 car lengths of the safety car between turn 13 and turn 14. 

"This occurred notwithstanding the fact that the Race Director had issued a warning to the team that PER was not respecting the less than 10 car lengths regulation between
turns 9 and 10. The team passed that warning on to PER.

"We refer to Doc 56 by which we imposed a reprimand on PER for a breach of the same regulation during the first safety car deployment during the race.

"As this was the second breach of Article 55.10 by PER during the race and followed an express warning from the Race Director, we determined to impose a 5 second time penalty on PER."

Ferrari felt Perez was deserving of a time penalty totalling 10 seconds but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner dismissed the incident as a "non-issue".