Lando Norris has called for a “cleaner battle” with title rival Max Verstappen ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen received two 10-second penalties for incidents early on in last Sunday's race in Mexico, which was won by Carlos Sainz.
He was awarded the first penalty for forcing Norris off the track at Turn Four on the 10th lap, while the second was given for leaving the track four corners later.
It meant the Dutchman finished in sixth position while Norris capitalised to finish second. Now, the McLaren driver wants to see fairer racing from his rival at Red Bull.
"It's what I said going into Mexico, I want clean, fair racing," Norris told Sky Sports.
"And that's what I do, that's what I provide and that's how I race. That's how I've always raced in my career. It's not for me to change, it's for the other side to change."
"I stayed out of trouble and did my job also, which is that. But every weekend is a new weekend. I don't know what to expect this weekend.
"Obviously, I hope, I expect a cleaner battle than what we had. But it's not up to me. I don't make the rules, I don't decide the penalties, I didn't do it. I just drive. The stewards see the race and they did a good job."
The result left McLaren in the lead in the Constructor’s Championship, ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull. While in the individual driver standings, Verstappen’s lead was cut to 47 points by Norris.
The 24-year-old was unfazed by how the nature of the rivalry might impact his personal relationship with Verstappen, however.
"Some of this is not personal," said Norris when asked if his relationship with Verstappen has changed.
"He wants to win the championship, I want to win the championship. But the way he can win the championship is a very different way to how I need to win the championship.
"Whether that changes how we are personally, it probably will a little bit, but this is not my concentration or place for concern at the minute."
Norris last took the chequered flag in September at the Singapore Grand Prix and has finished on the podium in one of the two races since. Verstappen, meanwhile, has failed to win a race since June when he finished first in Spain.
It leaves Norris feeling confident he can clinch his maiden title with four races left due to a number of reasons.
"My team, how we're performing every weekend. I think I'm driving very well, both in qualifying and races,” he explained.
“I feel like I've done a strong job over the last few months. I've still made mistakes and I've still not been perfect, but there's also times when we shouldn't have won and we shouldn't have had pole position and certain things.
"We did because I've been doing a good job - which is rare, but the confidence I've had in myself recently has helped me to keep believing.
"Probably the lack of performance that Red Bull have at the minute - both of them need to go together.”
World number two Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he was "not up to the level" after a defeat to Ugo Humbert saw him crash out of the Paris Masters in the third round.
Humbert, ranked 18th in the world, posted a 6-1 3-6 7-5 win against the second seed in two hours 17 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital.
"It was a very intense match. I started with some doubts about my game," said 21-year-old Alcaraz after the surprise defeat.
"Against a player who attacks whenever he can, who hits very aggressively at the slightest opportunity, it wasn't easy to get into the match.
"I was not up to the level he displayed. Ugo's performance was really high. The way he hits the ball is incredible."
Alcaraz had his sights set on a fifth title of the season in Paris but will move on to the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next, with the season finale to be played from November 10 to 17.
Humbert, meanwhile, will continue his hunt in the Paris Masters as he preps up to battle Australia's Jordan Thompson for a spot in the semi-finals.
Trinidad and Tobago’s ace swimmer Dylan Carter secured his second gold of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup Series as he produced a breathtaking performance to land win the men’s 50-metre freestyle in Singapore on Thursday.
Carter, a three-time Olympian, won the event in a brisk 20.82 seconds and left the field in his wake as he was the only swimmer under the 21-second barrier in the final. He won ahead of Australia’s Isaac Cooper (21.01s) and Germany’s Marius Kusch (21.04s).
The 28-year-old Carter is expected to line up in the heats of the men’s 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle on Thursday’s evening session before bringing the curtains down on his campaign in the men’s 50m butterfly on Friday.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the Paris Masters after an upset at the hands of 15th seed Ugo Humbert in the third round.
Alcaraz was aiming for a fifth title of the season in the French capital, but it was the world number 18 who emerged as 6-1 3-6 7-5 winner in two hours 17 minutes.
The Spaniard had no answer for Humbert in the first set, but fought back to level the proceedings in the second.
The third set was a tight affair, but it was 26-year-old Humbert who prevailed to take it 7-5 and reach the last eight at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Humbert, looking for his third title of the season, will next face Australia’s Jordan Thompson, who progressed to the quarter-final by defeating Adrian Mannarino.
England have aspirations of greatness, asserted Ben Earl as he prepares to face New Zealand in a friendly at Twickenham.
The 26-year-old was optimistic about the progress England had made under Steve Borthwick despite registering two losses at the hands of the All Blacks in July.
England will be seeking revenge after losing the second match of the test in a devastatingly close 16-15 defeat. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso had scored a try to put England ahead after scores had been tied 10-10 at half-time, but two penalty kicks from Damian McKenzie ended their hopes.
Earl, however, believes the heartbreak has given his country an opportunity to develop.
“I think it’s an experience all the big teams go through, you have to go through some heartache to get over the line,” he told TNT Sports.
“It just feels like it’s the evolution of all the top teams, and we are a team that wants to be known as a great team, some of the world’s best.
“So we know the heartache is good for a while, but it’s time to go and do it at the right time. We got a glimpse of it against Ireland last year, and we feel we are due one, and we have learnt some really hard lessons over the summer, so we feel we are in a better place for it.
“We have always said you don’t win easily against us and that’s something we have developed over the last 18 months with Steve’s mindset and the boys getting hold of it, and now I feel it’s time to get over the line in one of these big games.”
New Zealand have won their last three matches, having defeated Japan and secured a double over Australia. They struggled against reigning world champions South Africa, however, as they failed to exact revenge on the Springboks in late summer tests falling to defeat twice.
Undoubtedly, the All Blacks still represent some of the best talent in the world, with Earl expected to line up opposite New Zealand’s superstar Wallace Sititi.
“There’s stardust littered all over the pitch isn’t there? There’s some pretty cool match-ups; it just feels like a game that isn’t going to disappoint,” he said.
England won’t be overawed, though. Instead, they aim to make their west London home a fortress for visiting sides to travel to.
“[Twickenham is] a place where we want to be really, really hard to beat. And we’ve always said in the camp, if you want to beat us at Twickenham you are going to have to be over and above the norm,” Earl said.
Fast bowlers Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen have been included in the South Africa squad for their four-match home T20I series against India scheduled to begin on November 8.
The duo will make their return after injury lay-offs, but Cricket South Africa have rested Kagiso Rabada along with Lungi Ngidi with a home Test series against Sri Lanka to follow later next month.
Aiden Markram will captain the side against India, who beat the Proteas to win the T20 World Cup in Barbados earlier this year, while David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen and Keshav Maharaj are all included.
All-rounder Mihlali Mpongwana has received his maiden call-up, while uncapped Andile Simelane is also part of the roster.
“It’s both an exciting and important series for us as we continue to build towards the T20 World Cup in 2026,” said South Africa white-ball coach Rob Walter.
St. Lucian Olympic champion Julien Alfred is grateful to continue to receive recognition for her historic achievements at the Paris Olympics in August.
On Wednesday, the 23-year-old took home the award of best female athlete of Paris 2024 at the Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC) Awards ceremony held in Cascais, Portugal.
Alfred stormed to a historic 100m gold medal in Paris, the first Olympic medal in St. Lucia’s history.
“It’s truly an amazing feeling getting the love and support. I was not expecting so many praises, tonight especially, but it’s an amazing feeling knowing that my sacrifices and hard work are being celebrated and I’m truly grateful for it,” Alfred said after receiving her award.
She also spoke of her status as a role model for youngsters in St. Lucia and the importance of making them feel like nothing is impossible once you work towards it.
“It’s truly inspiring. Growing up, I looked at Usain Bolt and Levern Spencer, one of my countrywomen, but to be able to be standing here inspiring the youth is something that I’ve always dreamt of and it makes me feel like all my hard work is paying off,” she said.
“Now it’s time to continue to inspire the nation and the youth that no matter where you’re from, you can always work towards your dream,” she added.
Another history maker, Botswana’s 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, took home the award for best male athlete at Paris 2024.
The award for best male team went to Denmark Handball while the best female team went to Italy Volleyball.
The best male team in individual sports award went to Japan Artistic Gymnastics while the female award went to Great Britain Track Cycling.
Austria’s Lukas Mahr and Lara Vadlau took home the award for best mixed team while Chinese six-time Olympic Table Tennis champion Ma Long and New Zealand’s eight-time Olympic gold medallist in canoeing Lisa Carrington took home the male and female outstanding career awards, respectively.
Xabi Alonso wants to see defensive improvements from Bayer Leverkusen, as he prepares for an "intense" game against Stuttgart.
Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions, have already shipped 15 goals in the league this term.
They sit third, five points behind joint-leaders Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig and three ahead of eighth-placed Stuttgart ahead of Friday's clash.
Leverkusen have dropped nine points from winning positions in the Bundesliga this season, with only Wolfsburg worse off (11). They are the only team to have led in all eight of their league games this term (W4, D3, L1).
That is after Leverkusen did not squander a single point after taking the lead last season, and Alonso says there is plenty of room for improvement.
He said: "The last few games against Stuttgart have been really exciting.
"We are already feeling a good energy ahead of the game and we have prepared for the intensity that we expect. It’s a huge game.
"It's a big task for us to improve our defensive performance. We can score a lot of goals but we must not concede them.
"We hope to keep a clean sheet and we need to play well with and without the ball."
Stuttgart have not made a flying start to their Bundesliga campaign, though they have reeled off three straight wins in all competitions, including beating Juventus in the Champions League.
"There are a lot of emotions in these matches and Stuttgart are a strong team," said Alonso.
"They deserve their place in the Champions League."
Stuttgart have led in each of their five competitive games against Leverkusen under Sebastian Hoeness, but have not won any of them.
The last three meetings have seen Leverkusen score after the 88-minute mark.
Despite their iffy form this season, the defending champions have lost just one of their last 42 Bundesliga games (W32, D9).
They have picked up the most points in the league by far since the start of last term (105), followed by Bayern (92), Leipzig and Stuttgart (both 85).
The Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) proudly announces the launch of Badminton Month, kicking off with the first-ever Jamaica Badminton Sport Summit on November 9, 2024.
This summit, designed to elevate the performance and knowledge of Jamaica’s aspiring athletes, will set the stage for a month filled with competitive events and educational initiatives aimed at advancing badminton at all levels in Jamaica.
JBA President Vishwanauth Tolan explained the driving force behind the summit, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to athlete development that goes beyond the game itself.
“It’s the first time we are hosting a summit like this. We’ve recognized that many of our athletes lack critical knowledge about the pathways necessary for reaching elite status. Often, young Jamaican players compete well at ages 12 to 14, but by 18, their regional counterparts have taken a different development path that includes essential aspects like brand building, physical and mental preparation, and understanding their roles in the sport,” Tolan said.
He highlighted that the gap between Jamaican athletes and their international peers stems partly from limited awareness among players, coaches, and parents.
“Parents may not realize the level of commitment and strategy required if their child is to become elite. The journey involves more than just weekly practice. For Jamaica to have a competitive presence internationally, we need a comprehensive approach that includes stakeholder support,” he added.
The summit will address critical areas of athlete development, featuring expert-led panel discussions on topics such as personal branding, physical conditioning, and the unique roles of coaches, managers, and family.
Among the featured speakers are Bruce James, who will provide insights into the role of an agent, and Owen Hill, who transformed the Jamaican Premier League, demonstrating how brand-building can attract sponsors.
Romone Robinson, social media influencer, entrepreneur, and former Jamaica national badminton player, and Dr. Patrice Simmonds will also engage participants.
Key sessions at the summit include: “Brand You: Crafting Your Legacy beyond the Field” – Focused on personal branding and social media strategy to enhance athlete visibility.
“Mind and Muscle: Fueling the Champion Within”– Addressing the interconnectedness of mental strength, nutrition, injury prevention, and peak performance.
“Mastering Your Role on the Elite Pathway” – A roadmap for athletes, coaches, agents, and family members to collaboratively build a winning strategy for success.
Jamaican discus silver medalist Fedric Dacres will join the “Mind and Muscle” panel, sharing his personal experiences on the significance of mental toughness and physical conditioning for achieving elite status.
The summit marks the start of an exciting Badminton Month, followed by the All Jamaica National Junior Championships from November 16-17. The All Jamaica National Junior and Open Championships will take place on November 23-24, and the inaugural Super Series Final on December 1, providing athletes at all levels an opportunity to showcase their skills and compete against top talent.
As Jamaica’s official governing body for badminton, the JBA has long been committed to growing the sport and nurturing athletes who aspire to represent Jamaica internationally.
Through initiatives like the Jamaica Badminton Sport Summit, the JBA aims to build a solid foundation for Jamaica’s future stars, positioning the nation as a key competitor on the regional and global badminton stage.
Nuri Sahin is seemingly running short on time and players ahead of Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig.
Dortmund have not won any of their away matches in the league this season and have lost their last five games on the road in all competitions following Tuesday's loss to Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal.
They have been solid at home in the league, winning all four games, so any slip-up at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday would certainly pile more pressure on Sahin.
"This is not about my personal situation," Sahin said following his team's DFB-Pokal exit.
"It is about developing the club and getting back onto the winning track as quickly as possible.
"So it is not about me. It is about the club and I, as a coach, have the responsibility. Believe me, for me it is extremely bitter and disappointing to be in this situation we are currently in.
"We cannot do anything else other than keep working."
That has proved challenging this week, however, with Wednesday's open training scrapped and turned into individual fitness sessions due to a lack of available players.
Dortmund are without wingers Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville, attacking midfielder Gio Reyna as well as defenders Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson and Yan Couto among others.
Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is also nursing an injury but is likely to play while fellow defender Waldemar Anton, recovering from his own injury, could be an option by Saturday.
The mood could not be any different at Leipzig who are undefeated in the league and winners of their last four league games to join leaders Bayern Munich on 20 points.
They also had little trouble disposing of St Pauli 4-2 in the Cup on Tuesday.
Dortmund have won each of their last eight home games in all competitions, their longest run since between November 2022 and May 2023 (11).
BVB are the only team yet to drop a point at home in the Bundesliga this season and have collected 12 of their 13 points in Dortmund – the discrepancy between home and away points is not as big for any other team in the league.
Hayley Matthews produced a strong all-round performance but it wasn’t enough to help the Melbourne Renegades avoid a 28-run defeat against the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League in Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday.
The West Indian skipper first picked up 2-21 from her three overs as the Heat posted 169-8 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat.
Matthews was supported by Sophie Molineux who grabbed 2-35 from four overs while fellow West Indian Deandra Dottin took 1-27 from her four.
Georgia Redmayne led the Heat with 44 while Laura Harris made 31.
With the bat, Matthews made a 23-ball 35 at the top of the order in support of Naomi Stalenberg who led the Renegades with 38.
In the end, they could only manage 141-9 from their 20 overs thanks to some excellent bowling from the Heat.
Player of the match Grace Parsons led the way with 3-22 from her four overs while Shikha Pandey took 2-27 from four overs in support.
The Renegades now have two losses in as many games this season and will look to bounce back on Friday when they face the Perth Scorchers in Melbourne.
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil has attempted to take the pressure off the players ahead of their weekend match against fellow strugglers Crystal Palace.
O'Neil's side are currently 19th in the Premier League with just two points from their opening nine matches, with Palace four points above them in 17th.
“I know there will be a lot made of the next games, but they’re not must wins,” O’Neil told a pre-match press conference.
“Crystal Palace are good. They spent £30million on a striker from Arsenal and Eze is pretty good! We need to be ready in every game and we want to win.
“Southampton will also be tough, they keep the ball forever and have a real set way of playing.
Wolves fought back from two goals down to claim a point in a 2-2 draw against Brighton last weekend, having only scored their first after 88 minutes. Their manager was clear on that never-say-die attitude always being present at the club.
“There will be challenges in every game because that’s the level of the Premier League, but we’ll keep going," he said.
“The lads will never stop. We’ll stand up, we’ll keep going and we’ll be fine.
“The one thing I guarantee we won’t come up short on is fight, passion, togetherness and effort.
“If we come up short on quality sometimes, we work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen, but we definitely won’t come up short on anything else.”
Opposite number Oliver Glasner, meanwhile, has fitness worries over some key players going into this match after both Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton came off injured against Aston Villa in the EFL Cup in midweek.
While he was positive that Wharton's injury was just the recurrence of an existing issue, he was less sure about Eze.
“I hope that it’s not too serious but I don’t know. It’s not the best information that I got today that Ebs had to leave the pitch," he said.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wolves - Matheus Cunha
Cunha got Wolves' equaliser against Brighton deep into stoppage time last weekend, bringing him to four for the season so far.
He has scored in 15 Premier League matches for Wolves, but curiously has only ended on the winning side in three of them (D3 L9).
Crystal Palace - Jean-Philippe Mateta
Mateta is Crystal Palace's top scorer this season, having scored three league goals and laid on one assist. In all competitions, meanwhile, he has five goals.
The Frenchman has scored 16 goals in his last 20 Premier League starts for Crystal Palace. Mateta’s 17 Premier League goals in 2024 are the most by a Palace player in a calendar year.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Both of these teams have made a poor start to the Premier League season, with Wolves second-bottom of the table and Crystal Palace in 17th after nine matches.
The hosts are one of three teams in the division that are yet to have won a league games this season (D2 L7), though did end a six-match losing run with a 2-2 draw away to Brighton last week.
Wolves are the only team who have not picked up a single point at home this season, while their Molineux losing streak goes back five matches to their previous meeting with Crystal Palace (11 May 2024).
Crystal Palace are yet to win on the road in the league (D1 L3), with their last away win incidentally being their 3-1 reversal of Wolves at Molineux.
Oliver Glasner's side did pick up their first win of the season (D3 L5) last weekend, beating Tottenham 1-0 at home to put them on six points after nine matches.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Wolves - 38.6%
Draw - 27%
Crystal Palace - 34.4%
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that the players he gave gametime to in their 3-2 victory over Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek gave him something to think about ahead of their league meeting with the same opposition this weekend.
“I really liked what I saw from players who haven’t played much so far this season. That makes it even harder for me to make line ups in the upcoming weeks,” he told The Mirror.
Cody Gakpo scored a brace in midweek and is now pushing for what would be only his third league start of the season.
“In the second half of last season Cody scored a lot of goals so he’s been a good player for Liverpool for a long time now. He continues doing that and that’s a good thing.
“For me, he is a regular starter. Not starting every game, but he’s started on a regular basis. There is tough competition with Luis Diaz.
"It’s normal at a club like Liverpool to have two quality players for every position. If you look at Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah, who was unlucky with the goals we conceded, their overall performances I liked and they are in competition with Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate].
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Joao Pedro is back in first-team training and could play a part, while Matt O'Riley is also on the road to recovery after an injury nine minutes into his debut.
"We have to see – he [Joao Pedro] is coming back after a long injury – if he will be an option, but he is back in training," he told a pre-match press conference.
"Matt O’Riley is back in training. We have to see when he will be ready for potential playing in the squad."
Hurzeler also expressed excitement about his first experience of managing at Anfield, although stopped short of fawning over the thought of it.
"It is not on my bucket list to manage there but it will be a great experience, for sure. I am really looking forward to the atmosphere there," he said.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Liverpool - Mohamed Salah
Salah has been Liverpool's most effective player in the final third this season with 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists). He is their top scorer and tied fifth among the league's top goalscorers.
He has scored nine Premier League goals against Brighton in total, including three in his last two meetings.
Brighton - Danny Welbeck
Like Salah, Welbeck has also scored six league goals so far this season and is his team's top scorer.
The 33-year-old has scored three goals in his last three league appearances and four in his last five. Notably, he also scored against Liverpool at Anfield in their previous league meeting last March.
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to six league games (W4 D1) as they meet Brighton on Saturday, having drawn 2-2 away to Arsenal last weekend.
They are currently second in the Premier League on 22 points after nine matches, one point behind leaders Manchester City.
They have won seven of their nine Premier League games under Arne Slot so far (D1 L1). Victory here would see him pick up the most victories by a Liverpool manager in their first 10 top-flight games in charge of the club.
Liverpool have an impressive home record so far this season (W3 L1), while they also have the best-performing defence in the league with just five goals conceded.
Brighton were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool in midweek, albeit with both sides having much-rotated XIs in the EFL Cup fourth round, and will have their work cut out on Saturday.
They travel to Anfield with two away victories out of four in the league (D1 L1), although the games they failed to win came against Arsenal and Chelsea.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Liverpool - 64.1%
Draw - 18.6%
Brighton - 17.2%
Ruben Amorim vowed to clarify whether he will be joining Manchester United after Sporting CP's next game.
Amorim looks set to head to Old Trafford as United's replacement for Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on Monday.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is in interim charge of United, and led the Red Devils to a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Amorim swiftly emerged as United's top target, though they have had to negotiate with Sporting over a compensation fee, while reports have also suggested the 39-year-old coach will have to serve a period of notice at the Lisbon club.
Speaking ahead of Sporting's fixture ahead of Estrela da Amadora on Friday, Amorim urged patience, as he said more clarity will be provided after that match.
"It's a negotiation between two clubs. It's never easy, even with the [release] clauses. They have to talk," he said.
"We will have clarification after the game [on Friday], it will be clear. So it's one more day and after the game tomorrow, we will have a decision made."
He added: "I know you [journalists] travelled here to talk about it and that's natural, but we'll leave that until the end of the game [when] I'll talk about all these issues.
"I promise I'll talk about it at the end of the game and everything will be clearer.
"By talking now, it's destabilising the squad further. Right now, the focus is on Estrela da Amadora. As for doing things differently, I wouldn't. I didn't control any of the situation.
"I know my players and I'm honest with you when I say that they weren't normal. I realised they were nervous and anxious about the news, with a series of tough games coming up.
"They know me so well. I've proved that I'll defend them until the last minute. But there are things I can't control. There are things we can't control. The clubs are negotiating, it's not the coach's decision."
Amorim led Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in 2021, and won the Primeira Liga for a second time two seasons later.
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