Alonso out, Hamilton crashes… Champion drivers had a tough time in Singapore

Sergio Perez claimed a deserved victory in Singapore, taking the win in his Red Bull, while teammate Max Verstappen had to settle for seventh on Sunday.

The Mexican had a better start in second, jumping Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and maintaining the lead throughout the Grand Prix.

But while Perez is smiling all the way, champion drivers on the Formula 1 grid did not have the easiest of times around the streets of Marina Bay. Regardless of the team they're driving for - and no matter the team's performance level - it was a tough outing for many of the champions. Only the outgoing Sebastian Vettel had a decent race, starting in 13th and finishing in eighth.

Not taking away from Perez's win, here's how the race played out for F1's champions.

What. A. Performance! #SingaporeGP @SChecoPerez pic.twitter.com/6JzwFTVHFX

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Verstappen did not have an easy race. In fact, his entire race weekend was troublesome, starting with the limited running on Friday and the rain-affected Saturday. And in qualifying, he was called into the pits just as he was about to set a blistering time to secure pole position for the race. He started the GP in eighth place.

READ: WRAP | Sergio Perez waves the Red Bull banner with dominant performance in Singapore

At the race's start, Verstappen lost positions, dropping to as low as 12th. From there, it was damage limitation as he treaded carefully not to make any mistakes. It went well for the defending champion, and he was up into fifth after the safety car appeared for a second time. He then attempted a pass on McLaren's Lando Norris, but locked up and dropped down the order - again.

He rejoined the race in ninth and had to race down Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG) and Vettel (Aston