Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto, saw the positives after the team’s first double podium since the Miami Grand Prix in Singapore.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished second and third, respectively, in Florida 12 races ago, and were beaten by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
This time, it was the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez that finished ahead of them, and denied the Scuderia their first win since Austria.
Leclerc started on pole under the lights at Marina Bay, but in wet conditions, Perez got an immaculate start to clear the Monegasque heading into Turn One.
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The 32-year-old held a steady advantage over Leclerc as the pair traded fastest laps, and he held firm through the transition onto Slicks.
The Mexican opened out his advantage to over seven seconds, which was fortunate given his five-second time penalty for a Safety Car restart infringement.
Perez came across the line to take his second win of the season and his third in Formula 1, as a seventh Leclerc pole position was overturned by the Milton Keynes-based team.
Sainz passed Sir Lewis Hamilton off the line having started in fourth, and he would hold off the Briton until he collided with the wall.
The 28-year-old was then forced to withstand pressure from Lando Norris, but he eventually opened out a gap, and came home third behind Perez and Leclerc.
Verstappen suffered fuel issues in qualifying, so he backed out of his final run, placing him eighth off the start, and he too made a mistake during the race, locking up in his attempt to pass Norris after a Safety Car restart.
The Dutchman eventually recovered to seventh, marking only the second time this year he has crossed the finish line outside the podium places.
It all meant that Ferrari closed the gap in the Constructors’ Standings by two points, so while the Italian side wanted the win, 33 points is not a terrible result.
“We are disappointed with the result of today’s race, it’s been quite a while that we have been chasing a win and today, we came close,” Binotto told F1.com.
“I think then finishing second and third, still a good result, if we look in terms of the constructors’ championship, it has been a good weekend.
“I think overall the car was going well on the wet, on the dry, yesterday in quali and today in the race, and we can be satisfied because looking back at Spa, and Zandvoort, definitely it was more difficult.
“Here in Singapore, Ferrari showed that it had got over the difficulties of Spa and Zandvoort and we were able to get our performance back on track, which bodes well for the coming races.”
The 52-year-old discussed the issues that Leclerc experienced heading into Turn One on the opening lap.
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“I think the start was not great, we [lost a] position at the start and that has affected the rest of the race. So, having done a better start, I think we would have had a better result,” added Binotto.
“Now, on the start itself, I think that Charles had a good reaction time, he’d launched well, there were procedures on the clutch, but later on you had wheelspin because of too [little] grip, and I think that has affected the rest of the race.”
Verstappen will wrap up the championship if he wins with the fastest lap at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.