McLaren Formula 1 Exec Dir Zak Brown said that the team is "very close" to securing driver Fernando Alonso for next season. The Spaniard is out of contract this year but McLaren hopes its "decision to drop Honda engines and switch to Renault will persuade him to stay." Brown: "He's very happy with the direction of the team and the team in general." He added that Alonso, 36, "would continue to earn a salary similar to his existing one," which is $40M a year (BBC, 9/16).
Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez will stay at Force India for a fifth consecutive season in '18. The 27-year-old, "who had been in the frame for a Renault drive before the French team committed to Carlos Sainz," said that staying was an "easy decision." Perez said, "Staying with Force India was always my priority. The team have allowed me to show my talents as a driver and I feel very happy here" (BBC, 9/17).
League Championship side Bolton Wanderers was given the green light by the English Football League to come out of the transfer embargo. The club will now look to register youth players Jeff King and Alex Perry (Bolton Wanderers).
