Sports
F1’s Sergio Pérez is having a ‘terrible’ season. Can he break through at home in Mexico?
MEXICO CITY — With his son watching on, arms draped on the right-hand side of the podium at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Sergio Pérez soaked in the adulation of his home fans.
Even though Max Verstappen had won the race for Red Bull, third-placed Pérez drew the crowd’s focus after scoring his first Mexican Grand Prix podium. While it was his fifth podium of the 2021 season, it was the first time a Mexican driver had achieved such a result at home, making it a significant result for both him and his country.
Three years on, things have changed dramatically.
Pérez remains the star in Mexico. This remains his weekend, his face adorning billboards all over the city as brands and sponsors look to cash in on his stardom. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner joked that Pérez was “endorsing every product from Uber Eats to toilet roll this weekend.”
But right now, through a rotten run of form that has caused him to slump to eighth in the world championship, another podium finish would carry even more weight for Pérez.
“I know I’ve had a terrible season, a very difficult one,” Pérez admitted on Thursday. “It started really well, but it’s been really, really difficult. If I get a strong result, it can definitely change my season massively in terms of (my) personal feelings.”
Pérez arrives in Mexico without a podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. A season that started with so much promise, with Red Bull looking a step ahead of its rivals, quickly unraveled as he struggled with the car. A lack of balance that robbed the drivers of confidence this year only bit Max Verstappen toward the end of the European season. It hurt Pérez far earlier.
The resulting downturn in form put Pérez’s future in the spotlight. Red Bull saw its early-year advantage ebb away as McLaren, aided by two high-scoring drivers in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, reeled it in and eventually overhauled it at the top of the constructors’ championship. While Verstappen has maintained a decent buffer at the head of the drivers’ standings, Red Bull is now at risk of also slipping behind Ferrari — only eight points behind — to P3. That would be its lowest constructors’ finish since 2019.
Even ahead of Mexico, Pérez felt the need to respond to rumors that he might announce his plan to retire from F1 altogether at his home race. During the three-week break after Singapore, he posted a video clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street” where Leonardo di Caprio’s character, Jordan Belfort, confidently tells his workforce words to the extent of, “I’m not leaving.”
Sorry 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/rPIHpYDVGH
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) September 29, 2024
“I just felt like it’s been every year, for the last two years or so, that someone creates this rumor and then everyone picks it up,” Pérez explained in Austin last week when asked about the post. “All my fans, obviously I’m very conscious that there are a lot of people coming to support me, to the Mexican Grand Prix, and they probably might be expecting something that is not true.
“I felt the need to just say, look, I think it’s just not correct to spread rumors like this without knowing the facts.”
The frequency of those rumors is because of the scrutiny placed on Pérez’s underperformance and future despite his being under contract for the next two seasons. His renewal was intended to give him stability at a time when his form was slipping, acting as an extra arm around the shoulder—proof that he had the team’s support.
It failed to have the desired effect. Pérez still has not finished inside the top five since the deal was announced shortly before the Canadian Grand Prix. He was in contention for the podium in Azerbaijan last month, only for a late clash with Carlos Sainz to end his race.
Pérez during practice on Friday in Mexico City. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
On Friday, Horner agreed with Pérez’s assessment that his season had been “terrible,” saying the Mexican had “summed it up perfectly.”
“It’s been a bad year for Checo,” Horner said. “He started strongly, and obviously, he struggled for form since Imola onwards. It’s been sporadic. We saw flashes of performance. (In) Azerbaijan, arguably he could have won that race almost a month ago.
“We know what he’s capable of. We’re hoping we can give him the setup and confidence in the car to extract the kind of performances we know he’s capable of.”
Verstappen’s deepening struggles over the summer races indicated that Pérez was not solely to blame for his drop in form. The upgrades that arrived in Austin helped ease some of Verstappen’s concerns, but Pérez — who qualified ninth and finished only seventh — didn’t have the full package. “We just didn’t get a good weekend,” he reflected in Mexico. “It wasn’t a good weekend where I built a lot of confidence.”
Confidence is something that Red Bull has long sought to try and re-instill in Pérez as it looks toward 2025. “Checo’s our driver,” Horner said. “He’s contracted for 2025. He’s competitive. He’s hungry. He’s not happy with where he currently is. So, as a team, we’re doing our very best to support him.”
Horner was asked how Liam Lawson’s performances at RB might impact the plan across the two Red Bull teams, given the links for him to potentially replace Pérez in case of a change at Red Bull. Horner reiterated that Pérez “has a contract for next year, so he’s currently our driver for 2025.”
“There is a seat available at RB, and they’re all Red Bull racing drivers that are on loan,” Horner said. “We have the benefit of time to sit down with Laurent (Mekies) and Peter (Bayer) and look at all the options.”
The fan adoration for Pérez in Mexico City is boundless. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
If there was one race of the remaining five where the energy of the event and the crowd could provide an extra boost of energy to fuel Pérez, it’s Mexico. The intensity of the race weekend is like nothing else he experiences in F1. He described it as being “like three races at once.” The noise from the grandstands on his first outlap at the start of FP1 was greater than most drivers will hear in their honor all season, such is the excitement of the 100,000-plus Mexicans who are packed into the circuit, the majority bursting into color and noise in the Foro Sol stadium section.
The demands of racing at home do make for a taxing week. Yet it takes nothing away from how special the grand prix is for him. “I just want to enjoy it,” he said in Austin. “This is my ninth grand prix in Mexico, so I just want to make sure that I enjoy every single bit of it, because it’s a very important one.”
The only noise Pérez wants to hear this weekend is from the grandstands. The constant speculation and discussions about his future? He’s not bothered. “You just have to make sure you keep your head down, you focus on the stuff that you can control,” Pérez said. “The rest is something that you cannot get bothered with.”
Ending his podium drought on home soil would be a perfect way for Pérez to dismiss some of the question marks over his future at Red Bull. It would also give him the chance for another priceless moment, like the one with his son three years ago.
“That moment will stay with me forever, having my son up there with me on the podium, watching me,” Pérez said. “It’s something that I hope he remembers forever. If not, I’ll have the picture at least to show him when he’s older!
“Those moments, I think, are the ones that really matter to me. And I hope I can repeat that this weekend.”
Remembering when Sergio Perez’s son got to see his father on the podium at his home Grand Prix 💚🇲🇽
(via rsanchezp/IG) pic.twitter.com/tsFzL1JMHu
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 12, 2022
Top photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Sports
Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo
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Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.
In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.
Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side.
Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)
Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added.
“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.
Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
VANESSA, KAI TRUMP TAKE IN TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO GOLF AT TGL FINALS
“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted.
President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”
Woods has not commented on the arrest.
Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)
Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.
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Sports
Lakers beat Nets, but Luka Doncic is facing suspension again after 16th technical
For the second time in less than a week, Luka Doncic faces a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation.
Only a week after Doncic’s 16th technical foul was rescinded by the NBA, the Lakers superstar picked up another one in a 116-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and is in line to miss the Lakers’ next game against the Washington Wizards on Monday.
In the third quarter with the Lakers trailing by one against the lowly Nets (17-57), Doncic was called for an offensive foul against Nic Claxton as the Lakers (48-26) were trying to inbound the ball after a dunk by Ziaire Williams. After the Lakers turnover, Williams and Doncic appeared to exchange words with Doncic pushing Williams aside with one hand. Williams then flailed his arms behind him and slapped Doncic in the throat.
“He was yelling in my face three times,” said Doncic, who finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win. “I just wanted to get out of there. … I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. And they said I pushed. My push was exaggerated, which was obviously not [the case].”
Both were assessed technical fouls with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter, and Williams’ hit was reviewed for a possible flagrant, although it was not upgraded.
The NBA requires players to sit out for one game without pay after their 16th technical foul of the season. But Doncic avoided that fate after the NBA rescinded the foul that would have forced him to the bench for a critical road game last week. Lakers coach JJ Redick said the Lakers will try to appeal Doncic’s latest foul but he did not see what happened on the play.
Last week, Doncic avoided a suspension after the NBA rescinded the foul that would have forced him to the bench for a critical road game against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. Doncic is slated to miss Monday’s game against the Wizards, who have lost 17 of their last 18 games and have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference (17-56).
Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts to a referee’s call during the second half Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Doncic picked up his first 16th technical foul last week against the Orlando Magic after getting into an argument with Orlando forward Goga Bitadze. Doncic claimed Bitadze directed a vulgar comment about Doncic’s family in Serbian toward the Lakers star guard. Bitadze refuted the story, saying it was actually Doncic who said the curse word out loud first and that he was only repeating what he heard.
The NBA rescinded both fouls upon review the following day.
Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, has scored 30 points or more in 12 consecutive games, the longest such streak in his career. He has 43 30-point games this season, tying Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for sixth-most in a season by a Lakers player. He has scored 40 points or more in the last 12 games.
Against the Nets, Austin Reaves finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists and LeBron James had 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Before the game, Redick said the Nets game would be like playing on the road since the Lakers had spent almost two weeks away from Crypto.com Arena and had returned home in the wee hours of Thursday morning from Indianapolis.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates after shooting a three-pointer against the Nets in the second half Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The challenge was to find the energy to play, which wasn’t a problem for Doncic, who had 24 points in the first half. Doncic was nine for 15 from the field in the first half and four for six from three-point range in 20 minutes. He finished shooting 15 for 25 from the field as the Lakers shot 54% from the floor. They shot 44% (11 for 25) from three-point range.
That the Lakers were facing a Nets team with the second-worst record in the NBA didn’t matter.
That the Lakers were facing a Nets team had lost nine of its last 10 games didn’t matter.
That the Lakers were facing a Nets team that’s last in the league in scoring (106.3 points per game) didn’t matter.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton, left, blocks a shot by Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore in the first half Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
What mattered to the Lakers was finding a way to win as the regular season winds down.
“I felt like we were a step slow,” Redick said. “And I told the guys at halftime, ‘This is our seventh game of the road trip. Anytime you come back, there’s a day in between, that’s just you’re in another city until you can get adjusted to the time zone and you get a couple days break.’ So the next two [off] days will be good for us.”
Notes: Lakers broadcast analyst Stu Lantz missed Friday night’s game against the Nets because of health issues. Derek Fisher, who won five NBA titles with the Lakers, took over Lantz’s role for the game. Public address announcer Lawrence Tanter also missed the game because of a health matter. Jason Barquero filled in for Lantz. “The entire Lakers organization is wishing Lawrence all the best in his recovery, and we look forward to welcoming him back soon,” the team said in a statement.
Sports
Tiger Woods involved in rollover crash in Florida less than 2 weeks before Masters: reports
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Tiger Woods was involved in a car crash on Jupiter Island in Florida on Friday, according to multiple reports.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office told ESPN that the crash happened on Jupiter Island. Woods’ condition was not immediately known.
Woods competed in the TGL championship earlier this week with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, and her daughter, Kai, in the stands. It was his return to competitive golf after rupturing his Achilles last year, just ahead of the Masters.
Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club looks on before the match against the Los Angeles Golf Club at SoFi Center on March 23, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Adam Glanzman/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images)
The 15-time major winner, five of which have come at Augusta, was noncommittal about playing at this year’s Masters. President Donald Trump said on “The Five” on Thursday that he would be at Augusta but not play.
Woods has had trouble behind the wheel in the past. In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for months.
This is a breaking story. Check back for more updates.
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