"Great day for our team"- Sergio Perez comes second at Suzuka and revels in Max Verstappen's 2022 F1 title win

In what was a rather dramatic Japanese Grand Prix, Sergio Perez crossed the checkered flag behind Charles Leclerc to take third place in Suzuka. He was, however, promoted to second after the Monegasque was handed a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage after leaving the track.

In a post-race media interaction, the Red Bull driver said:

"Yeah, it was a bit hectic. we were fighting each other really hard. I tried to make a move at the end but I think he locked up, went off, and then I was going around the outside and then he came back out."

"Certainly a great result for Honda, for all the Japanese fans who have been amazing. It's a great day for the team now that Max [Verstappen] has become champion, it is certainly a massive day for all of us. it was certainly nice, we have to keep the momentum going into the end of the season."

The race was red-flagged within the first three laps due to extreme conditions and rainfall. Sergio Perez rejoined the race with less than thirty minutes to go and tried some phenomenal moves to get past the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc but was simply unable to do so.

Since the race resumed, the FIA regulations stated that full points were awarded to the top ten finishers of the Grand Prix. With Leclerc's penalty, Perez in second, and a race win for Max Verstappen with an extra point for the fastest lap, the Dutchman became the 2022 F1 world drivers' champion.

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Sergio Perez feels people do not understand the "position" he is often is in

Sergio Perez has often been criticized for not keeping up with Max Verstappen despite driving the same Red Bull. Last weekend's win at the Singapore Grand Prix, however, certainly put the Mexican at ease.

Speaking to the media in a post-race interaction at the 2022 F1 Singapore GP, Perez admitted that people seem to have forgotten that at the very beginning of the season, he was in contention for the championship title. He said:

“I think it was a bit of emotions. You know, I just feel like sometimes people don’t really understand the type of challenge I’m facing – you know, in terms of how difficult the position I’m in is. It’s just that if I get two bad races in there, all these sorts of analyses start to come in place where – I mean, people forget that I was fighting for the championship in the beginning of the year in the first few races, but I think that’s just part of Formula One.”

After securing the win last Sunday, Perez described his drive as "the Mexican way" on team radio, saying:

“This is how we do it, man. We shut our mouth, and we work hard – this is the Mexican way.”

Sergio Perez currently stands second in the drivers' standings, ahead of Charles Leclerc.