A few miles away in Abu Dhabi in the Yas Marina Circuit, one of the foremost venues in the Middle East that hosts F1 motorsport events, has hosted the ultimate, historic race of Mexican legendary race car driver Sergio Michel “Checo” Perez Mendoza. Valtteri Bottas, a proud Finnish racer collided with Perez in the very first lap of the race, causing Perez to put an end to his career. Outshined by his teammate Max Verstappen for the majority of 2024, this was the last loss to his 2024 winless season, a bow to the gift presented to Perez by Red Bull, who had initially agreed to a contract with Perez up to 2026. 

Constant pressure from a weak season performed by Sergio Perez, stemming from never finishing higher than 6th places in 14 races, is the canary in the coal mine for Sergio’s tenure with Red Bull. 

“Finishing second or third in the end makes no difference,” Perez says, “So, we really want to win it.”

Red Bull had initially wanted to cut Perez in the beginning of the season, but had a change of heart and wanted to give Perez a second chance. In May Perez had signed a contract that would ultimately end in 2026, however his 2024 performance unfortunately changed the future of this plan. Perez, who had been chosen over Carlos Sainz, joined Red Bull in 2021, was strongly considered by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, despite Perez losing three races in Miami, Monaco, and Imola where he finished eighth, fourth, and collided with another racer on the inaugural lap, finishing 16th in that race in Monaco. There were high hopes at the time of the contract signing, strong belief in Perez and teammate Verstappen, with team principal Horner stating,

“Continuity and stability are important for the team and both Checo and Max are a successful and robust partnership.” 

Horner has a great amount of respect for Perez, despite all the losses by Perez, every dog has its day. 

“Checo started the season so strongly, four podiums out of five races. It felt like he’d taken off where he’d left off last year. But then really from Monte Carlo, that race onwards, it’s been a very tough year for him, and we’ve tried everything with him and supporting him and basically he’s come to his own conclusion that I think that now is the right time to step away from Formula 1 to take a bit of time out.”

22-year old New Zealander Liam Lawson will be replacing 34-year old Perez. 

“While Checo will not race for the team next season, he will always be an extremely popular team member and a treasured part of our history,” team captain Horner proudly exclaims.

Fellow teammate, well ex-teammate Verstappen posted on his social media saying,

“It’s been an absolute pleasure driving alongside you,” along with a heartfelt message, “We’ve had some amazing moments together that I’ll always remember.”

Regardless of his final seasonal performance, Sergio “Checo” Perez without a doubt made his nation proud. Born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, starting out in kart racing at the age of 6, Perez sets the top echelon standard of what it takes to grace the illustrious Formula 1 race track.

Credit: Chris Garcia/Que Onda Magazine

Franchises with deep pockets are lining up to give a hefty contract to the 2 time World Series champion Alex Bregman who will take nothing lower than $200 million. THe Houston Astros offered Bregman $156 million, way below his strike price, and honestly a slap in the face considering the amount of potential that Bregman still has. However, perhaps a new environment is what Bregman needs to catapult towards an improved hitting rate. The two-time All-Star averages 25 home runs a season with a consistent hitting rate of .270 for the past 6 years.

There is without a doubt that Bregman will receive what he is asking for. Teams such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies are eagerly interested in grabbing the third baseman whose skills have yet to diminish. The Phillies are considered to be at the front of the list, as history shows they have never shied away from spending the amount necessary to acquire skilled labor such as the likes of Bryce Harper. The Detroit Tigers are also in need of a third baseman, so Bregman has some thinking to do if he considers giving Justin Verlander’s old stomping grounds a swing. Teams that are eager to make a name for themselves would love to grab a top notch player with championship experience to the mix, who also won the 2024 Golden Glove Award, so that is all the proof needed to guarantee a player with superb defense and lightning hits at the plate. 

Bregman should be excited to say the least, especially since there are plenty of teams who are in strong need of a third baseman. Bregman could easily land the largest or second largest contract in the offseason from any of these high paying franchises. It does hurt to see Bregman go, but he deserves what he asks for considering all the hard work he committed to here in Houston. Bregman is the best player, the best asset left on the market, and it will be exciting to see what opportunity slides down Bregman’s way. What he decides to do with his free agency will greatly and obviously affect the Houston Astros offseason decisions.

 If Bregman stays, their new addition Issac Paredes will most likely move to first base. This is the area in most necessity for the Astros, and they need a Yuli Guriel type player to fulfil that position. This December has been a roller coaster to say the least for the Astros after sending off Kyle Tucker to Chicago. Alex Bregman is a top priority for the entire MLB league, and to be perfectly honest it is great to see the LSU graduate have the limelight.

HOUSTON, Texas — A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers announced Tuesday they had issued a new subpoena that would require the state’s prison system to allow death row inmate Robert Roberson to testify in person this week about the state’s junk science law.

An earlier subpoena ended up delaying Roberson’s Oct. 17 execution, which had been set to be the first in the U.S. tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence announced it had issued last week and served on Monday a subpoena compelling Roberson to appear before it at a meeting in Austin on Friday.

The committee has argued it needs to hear from Roberson about whether a 2013 law created to allow prisoners to challenge their convictions based on new scientific evidence was ignored in his case.

SEE MORE: Texas Attorney General’s Office releases collection of evidence in controversial death penalty case

Ken Paxton says the autopsy report proves Roberson was convicted of beating his child and leaving her with extensive he…Show more

“Robert’s testimony will shed important light on some of the problems with our ‘junk science writ’ process, a legal procedure Texas lawmakers expected to provide reconsideration in cases like this one,” committee chair and state Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat, and committee member and state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican, said in a statement.

The committee said it’s waiting for a response from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Amanda Hernandez, a department spokesperson, said in an email that her agency “doesn’t have a comment at this time.”

Roberson’s lawyer said he’s “grateful for the chance to be heard.”

“I profoundly hope that his ability to appear is not obstructed by those who, for whatever reason, do not want the lawmakers and the public to hear from him directly about his experience trying to communicate his innocence,” attorney Gretchen Sween said in a statement.

Roberson had been set to appear before the committee on Oct. 21 under the first subpoena. However, the Texas attorney general’s office said he would only appear by videoconference because bringing him to the state Capitol would present “myriad security and logistical concerns.”

SEE MORE: Texas man whose murder conviction tied to shaken baby syndrome won’t testify in-person

The committee and Roberson’s lawyers have pushed for him to appear in person, saying testimony via video conference would be difficult for him because he has been diagnosed with autism and has communication challenges.

Roberson, 58, is being held in the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, located more than 200 miles northeast of Austin.

Roberson was sentenced to death in 2003 for killing his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. Prosecutors said Roberson shook her violently back and forth. Roberson’s attorneys have argued that the child’s symptoms did not align with child abuse and that she likely died from complications from severe pneumonia.

Roberson has gained bipartisan support from lawmakers and medical experts who say he was convicted on faulty evidence of “shaken baby syndrome,” which refers to a serious brain injury caused when a child’s head is hurt through shaking or some other violent impact, like being slammed against a wall or thrown on the floor.

After the state parole board, multiple lower courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court had all rejected Roberson’s request to delay his October execution, it appeared he would receive a lethal injection.

But the House committee used an unconventional strategy to delay his execution: issuing a subpoena for Roberson to testify days after he was scheduled to die. After legal debate in multiple courts, the Texas Supreme Court upheld an order to stay Roberson’s execution.

In November, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that a legislative subpoena cannot stop an execution. But the court did say the committee could issue another subpoena for Roberson’s testimony so long as it didn’t block a scheduled execution. A new execution date for Roberson has not been set.

If the state criminal justice department would not comply with a new subpoena, the House committee could seek “judicial relief” to compel Roberson’s testimony, the Texas Supreme Court said in its order

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the attorney general’s office had objected to the first subpoena because it would have forced the state prison system to disobey a valid court order to carry out a lawfully imposed death sentence.