Cadillac driver Sergio Perez said on Thursday that his recently announced contract extension will be his last in the Formula 1 World Championship, as the Mexican driver prepares to celebrate his 300th Grand Prix participation in front of his local fans on Sunday.
Perez (36 years old), who returned to the sport this season after being absent for one year following his departure from Red Bull at the end of 2024, confirmed that his children are the main reason behind his decision to limit himself to three more years in Formula 1.
Perez added to reporters: “I love this work and it is my passion, and I can easily stay for another ten years because I really enjoy what I do.”
He continued: “But I am also approaching an age when my children, who represent the most important thing in my life, will reach important stages in their lives, and I want to spend more time with them. “I am certain that these last three years will be my last decade.”
Rather than seeking a driver's seat that might provide instant success, Perez emphasized that the opportunity to help build a team from scratch was the most exciting challenge of his final years in the sport.
He said: “There is nothing that motivates me more at this moment than creating something new with an important brand like Cadillac.”
The American team suffered in its first season, as it occupies last place in the constructors’ championship standings without any point after 18 rounds.
Perez confirmed that he is excited to help transform the team's course in the coming months, but he is less optimistic about its chances of winning the first point in its race on home soil and among its fans, noting that they "need a miracle."
Despite Cadillac's difficulties, the Mexican driver remains immensely popular in his country. Nearly 100,000 fans gathered on Wednesday for a parade on Mexico City's main street, Paseo de la Reforma, while thousands more are expected to fill the Autodromo Ermans Rodriguez with noise and color during the race on Sunday.
“It is amazing to reach 300 races, and even more amazing for this to happen in Mexico,” Perez said. “When you look at the results, we are the last team, but the enthusiasm here is similar to what it was when I was competing for victory.”
Dejan Kulusevski, the English football player for Tottenham Hotspur, revealed the decisive factor that paved the way for his return to the field after an absence of 526 days due to a knee injury.
Kulusevski ended a 17-month absence by participating as a substitute in the match that ended with his team’s 3-1 victory over Coventry City on October 19 in the English Premier League championship, then he followed it with another participation as a substitute in the match that ended in a victory over Chelsea last Saturday.
This remarkable return comes after Kulusevski suffered a patella injury in his right knee during Tottenham's 0-2 loss to Crystal Palace at the end of the 2024-2025 season. He had fears that his football career would end, especially after a series of setbacks that kept him out of the field throughout the entire last season.
In statements to the “Spurs Play” platform before facing Crystal Palace again in the English Premier League, on Saturday, Kulusevski said: “A year and a few months passed, and I was still unable to climb the stairs normally like everyone else.”
The Swedish player added in his statements, which were reported by the British news agency (PA Media): “I had to return to playing football, so I decided in my heart not to give up, even though I sometimes thought: What will I do if things do not work out?”
Kulusevski explained: “I went to a physiotherapist in Sweden, and he was able to make a change in my nervous system, which made things seem completely different. When I started doing the exercises, I wondered: I didn't feel any pain yesterday, it was painful, so why don't I feel pain today?
He continued: “I continued performing the following exercises and did not feel any pain either, so I entered the room where my wife was and said to her: (It is over, we will succeed in this) and from that moment, things began to improve.”
“There was still some pain, but it was different,” Kulusevski noted. I was now able to control my legs, and the hard work of that summer began. “I started playing football, and my condition was improving day after day.”
He added: “Although I was suffering from limp and other things, the situation has become completely different from what it was before.”
In a comprehensive interview, Kulusevski hinted that watching Tottenham players celebrate winning the Europa League title on an open-air bus “was probably the most difficult moment of this trip,” because he was not even able to walk to go to the bathroom at the time.
The former Italian Juventus winger also revealed that he began the qualification phase based on the recommendation of his former colleague in the Swedish national team, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and praised the “exceptional coach” Roberto De Zerbe.
“Yes, it's an amazing story,” Kulusevski said. I began to understand how to live with this situation, how to deal with it, and how to allocate an hour every evening before bed to do stretching exercises. “I started to realize how I could help improve my condition.”
He added: “I know that I am capable of competing, and I know this because I made a great effort. "I'm not afraid. I've worked hard all year, so I know I'll be ready to play, and my knee is strong."
Kulusevski concluded his speech by saying: “I have known Roberto for some time. He is a very exceptional coach, so his arrival here adds a special character to things. "I'm very happy to have him and his crew. They have a different style, and I like working with different people."
Spanish star Fernando Alonso maintained his opinion that the level of driving at the bottom of the Formula 1 car racing standings is “very low.”
On the other hand, Thai-British driver Alex Albon expressed his hope that their paths would not intersect during the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
Alonso, the two-time world champion, made these scathing statements after his collision with Albon on the first lap of the Austin Grand Prix, in the United States, last Sunday.
The veteran driver did not show any intention of backing down from his point of view. The Aston Martin team is going through a disastrous season in the Formula 1 World Championship, forcing Alonso to compete in late positions throughout the current season.
Alonso (45 years old) reiterated that he did not understand Albon's actions during that incident, adhering to his conviction about the level of drivers competing around him.
“I think we all know who we mean, and who felt concerned by this comment, and that in itself explains everything,” Alonso said before the start of the Mexican Grand Prix.
He added in his statements, which were reported by the British news agency (PA Media): “I still stand by my opinion. “It was an inexcusable mistake, and I still find it difficult to understand what opportunity Albon thought he was going to seize at that moment.”
He explained: “It is not limited to the Austin race only, as I unfortunately found myself in this part of the standings throughout the season. “I see things from inside the car that I cannot reveal.”
He added: “This has been the case for years.” “It depends on the ambitions of these drivers for the future, whether they want to stay in (Formula 1), get an opportunity with a bigger team, or are they content with causing collisions!”
When Albon was asked about Alonso’s statements that he made last weekend, he initially considered them just a statement made in a moment of emotion, but when he was informed that the Spanish driver was still adhering to his position, he responded, saying: “I will also adhere to what I said previously. “I have great respect for Fernando, as I considered him a role model when I was a child.”
Albon confirmed: “Of course, it is not nice to hear such statements, especially when you are racing against someone who you considered to be your role model. But at the same time, I don't agree with him, that's just how it is.”
Albon pointed out that “the level of competition is strong in all positions of the starting grid. 10 or 15 years ago, cars were not placed at the bottom of the rankings as they are today; There is no longer what is known as (drivers who pay money for their seats).”
Albon concluded his statements by saying: “This is the reality, and I hope that our paths will not cross during the next race on Sunday.”
