Lewis Hamilton could start the Turkish Grand Prix at the back of the grid on Sunday as Mercedes are considering taking an engine penalty for the Formula One championship leader.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton leads Max Verstappen by two points in the battle for the title after winning a dramatic Russian Grand Prix to secure his 100th race victory last month.
Verstappen worked his way through the field from the back to finish second after the Red Bull driver had a new power unit fitted in Sochi
Hamilton may face the same challenge at Istanbul Park as his team mull over whether to fit his car with a fourth engine of the season, which would take him over the permitted allowance.
Asked if the Silver Arrows could take the penalty this weekend, team principal Toto Wolff told Sky Sports News: "It's a possibility."
Although the German added: "When, and how, is not yet decided."
Wolff says it is vital Mercedes avoid putting Hamilton in a position where he is danger of not finishing a race.
"Most important is that you don't DNF because of a reliability issue," said Wolff.
"You can cope with swings, whether you finish second, third, I think that is okay, the championship is going to go long. But if you don't finish...
"So we are looking at the parameters of the engines, making sure we don't suffer from any reliability problems."
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas started in 17th in Sochi after taking an engine penalty.
Watford have appointed Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri as their new head coach.
Ranieri has signed a two-year deal at Vicarage Road following the departure of Xisco Munoz, who became the first Premier League managerial sacking of the season on Sunday.
Under Munoz, the Hornets won their first game on their top-flight return against Aston Villa but only managed to pick up four points from the next six games to leave them in 15th.
However, new appointment Ranieri is no stranger to English football having enjoyed spells with Chelsea and Fulham, while overseeing the most unlikely of title-winning terms with Leicester City.
The Foxes secured the title in 2015-16, led by the likes of Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy as they lost just three times all season under the Italian's stewardship.
Despite the triumph, Leicester and Ranieri parted ways the following season with the defending champions just a point above the relegation zone with 13 games left to play.
He then returned to take charge of Fulham in 2018, via a stop at Nantes, but was sacked after just 106 days in charge, with the Cottagers heading for an imminent relegation from the Premier League.
The former Chelsea manager's most recent job was with Sampdoria, but he departed in the close-season after a two-year spell with the club, having initially taken charge in 2019.
Watford, who have now hired six and fired five different permanent head coaches since Marco Silva's departure in January 2018, become Ranieri's 21st club in his 35-year career.
He will be joined by assistant coaches Paolo Benetti and Carlo Cornacchia, as well as fitness coach Carlo Spignoli, as he prepares for the difficult task of the unbeaten Liverpool in his first game on October 16.
Gianluigi Donnarumma feels he has become a better goalkeeper since joining Paris Saint-Germain after training alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
The Italy international signed for PSG on a free transfer in July after failing to come to an agreement with boyhood club Milan over a new contract.
He was one of a number of additions at the Parc des Princes during the transfer window, the highest-profile of which undoubtedly being Messi's arrival from Barcelona.
PSG already had fellow superstar forwards Neymar and Mbappe in their ranks and the duo, along with Messi, have helped Donnarumma develop both on and off the field.
"Training with them makes you improve a lot. Sometimes there are battles that make you grow," he said at a news conference on Monday while on Italy duty.
"Training with all these champions helps you develop as a human and as a player.
"It's a good challenge for me. I'm happy to train with them and grow, to move forward in this new challenge of mine. I always try to give my best."
Donnarumma has started PSG's last two matches and now appears to be Mauricio Pochettino's first choice, with Keylor Navas as back-up.
The 22-year-old was previously sharing goalkeeping duties with Navas but insists he did not fear losing his place in the Italy side as a result of his lack of regular minutes.
"That's not a problem," he said. "I went to PSG to play. It's normal that it's like this at the beginning. I'm sure everything will be great.
"I have no problems with the national time. I'm continuing on my path and hope everything will go well for me."
Despite his young age, Donnarumma has already appeared 218 times in Serie A and Ligue 1 combined since making his Milan debut aged 16 in October 2015.
Only Samir Handanovic (219) and Inaki Williams (220) have featured more regularly in Europe's top five leagues across that period.
Donnarumma has kept 72 clean sheets in those 218 league games and has a save percentage of 72.72.
Eleven others to have played at least 100 times in that timeframe rank higher in that metric than Donnarumma, with Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak (78.87) leading the way.
Donnarumma, who is set to start Italy's Nations League semi-final with Spain on Wednesday, therefore believes there is still room for further improvement.
"There's always a way to learn and get better," he said. "My target is to go higher and higher. There's always something to learn from the goalkeeper coach.
"We try to understand what I need to work on and improve. There's an excellent relationship between us. We try to structure the training in the best possible way.
"With the new coaches, there's a different comparison and this makes me happy for my growth."
Italy confirmed on Monday, meanwhile, that injured Atalanta midfielder Matteo Pessina has been replaced in their 23-man squad by Federico Dimarco for this week's Nations League Finals.
Didier Deschamps is not worried about Antoine Griezmann's lack of form ahead of France's Nations League Finals campaign this week.
The 30-year-old returned to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona in a high-profile transfer at the end of August following two largely underwhelming campaigns at Camp Nou.
Griezmann was expected to revive his career in the Spanish capital, but he has managed just one goal and no assists in seven appearances in his second spell with Atletico.
That solitary strike came in last week's 2-1 win over Milan in the Champions League, though he was again left out of Atletico's starting lineup for Saturday's showdown with Barcelona.
He has been named in Deschamps' 23-man squad for this week's Nations League Finals, which will see France face Belgium in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Les Blues will then either take on Italy or Spain in Sunday's final or third-placed play-off, depending on the outcome of both semi-finals.
And Deschamps has no concerns about using Griezmann, who has 41 goals in 98 caps for France, in those matches.
"His goal in the Champions League was very positive," Deschamps said at a news conference on Monday. "Even though he didn't start, that goal will give him confidence.
"He has returned to a club he knows well, but with different players around him. He can't just click his fingers.
"But because of his qualities and state of mind, I do not worry about him. I know he will be happy to join up with the France team."
Griezmann played a full part for France in their World Cup semi-final clash with Belgium en route to lifting the trophy in 2018, setting up Samuel Umtiti's winning goal.
The Nations League presents France with a chance to add to that triumph, having exited Euro 2020 at the last-16 stage, but they must overcome two sides ranked in the world's top eight.
"There is a title at stake; we have a semi-final to play against one of the best teams in the world," he said.
"With Italy and Spain on the other side, there are four of us fighting for this title. We did everything to qualify for this final phase in a very tough group.
"We want to get this title. Before there were two titles: the Euros and the World Cup. Now there is the Nations League. Winning it is our goal."
Belgium have named a vastly experienced squad for the Finals, with Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Toby Alderweireld and Eden Hazard all boasting over 100 caps.
Roberto Martinez's men only reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, where they were beaten by tournament winners Italy – their only defeat in 17 matches and one of only two defeats in 31 games since November 2018.
Ranked number one in the world, Deschamps acknowledged France face a big task against Belgium on Thursday.
"They have evolved well, with six or seven players on 100 or more caps," he said. "They are the best team in the FIFA rankings and have a very experienced core.
"It is a beautiful generation of players, but one that has not yet had the happiness of success at the Euros or World Cup."
Deschamps added: "It's going to be a fight at a physical, tactical and technical level. There is a lot of respect between myself and Roberto Martinez and also between the players.
"But there is of course a rivalry there because we are border countries, which we also have with Italy and Spain.
"There was also the 2018 semi-final we played, but this match cannot change what happened then. That will not have too much importance this week."
The Baltimore Ravens tied the NFL record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games after head coach John Harbaugh made a conscious decision to keep a "meaningful" streak alive.
With a 23-7 win over the Denver Broncos already in hand, the Ravens could have taken a knee in the final seconds but, three yards shy of tying the Pittsburgh Steelers' record of 43 successive games with at least 100 rushing yards, Baltimore elected to call a designed run for quarterback Lamar Jackson, who duly picked up five to keep their run intact.
Though moving to 3-1 on the season was of chief importance, Harbaugh felt the achievement of equaling the rushing record had a significance that influenced his decision.
"One hundred per cent my call," Harbaugh said. "That's one of those things that's meaningful.
"It's one of those things that, as a head coach, you've got to be mindful of your team and your players and your coaches and what it means to them.
"It's a very, very tough record to accomplish and it's a long-term record. I'm not going to say it's more important than winning the game, for sure. It's certainly not.
"But as a head coach, I think you do that for your players and you do that for your coaches and that's something they'll have for the rest of their lives."
Jackson, who threw for 316 yards and a touchdown, had a relatively quiet day on the ground, finishing with just 28 yards rushing.
Despite his coach's words, statistics and records clearly mean little to the 2019 MVP.
"I'm happy we got the [win]," Jackson said. "I'm not going to lie. I didn't even care about the record."
The Ravens can break the record next Monday when they host the 1-3 Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.
Domestic abuse allegations made against Alexander Zverev are being investigated by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body has confirmed.
Zverev's former partner Olga Sharypova alleged in an interview last year that the German physically and emotionally abused her during a tournament in Shanghai in 2019.
World number four Zverev has strenuously denied the allegations.
After commissioning an Independent Safeguarding Report earlier this year, with the aim of ensuring all adults and minors involved in professional tennis are safe and protected from abuse, the ATP is now looking into the claims made by Sharypova.
A statement on Monday read: "The ATP fully condemns any form of violence or abuse and will investigate such allegations related to conduct at an ATP member tournament."
ATP chief executive Massimo Calvelli added: "The allegations raised against Alexander Zverev are serious and we have a responsibility to address them.
"We hope our investigation will allow us to establish the facts and determine appropriate follow-up action.
"We understand Zverev welcomes our investigation and acknowledge that he has denied all allegations.
"We will also be monitoring any further legal developments following the preliminary injunction obtained by Zverev in the German Courts."
Kalidou Koulibaly has called for permanent bans for the fans who targeted himself, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Victor Osimhen with racist abuse in Sunday's match between Napoli and Fiorentina.
The three Napoli players were the subject of racist chants from some sections of the Fiorentina support during the game.
Koulibaly, who helped Napoli to a 2-1 win, was also targeted by spectators as he was interviewed on the pitch by DAZN after the game.
According to reports by II Napolista, Fiorentina's director general Joe Barone went to Napoli's changing room to apologise personally.
Osimhen hit out at the perpetrators in a tweet, stating: "Speak to your kids, your parents, make them understand how disgusting it is to hate an individual because of the colour of their skin. NO TO RACISM."
Koulibaly followed suit, revealing the fans called him a "f****** monkey".
"'Monkey of s***. F****** monkey'", Koulibaly's tweet began.
"They called me that. These people have nothing to do with sport. They must be identified and kept out of the stadiums. Forever."
Serie A has had issues with racist behaviour from some supporters already this season.
In September, Milan filed an official complaint to the Federal Prosecutor's Office following Tiemoue Bakayoko's claims that he and Franck Kessie were abused by a section of Lazio fans.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will decide this week whether to go ahead with the upcoming Ashes Tour after communicating Cricket Australia's proposed arrangements with players.
The first Test of the Ashes is due to begin on December 8 at the Gabba in Brisbane, though the full length of the Tour is expected to be 11 weeks, and during that time the England team will have to live under restricted conditions in an attempt to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.
Australia has been one of the most restrictive countries in the world during the pandemic, with strict border rules in force since March 2020.
Its international borders are set to reopen in November, though Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested last month that England will not benefit from any "special deals" regarding quarantine rules if they are to travel to Australia.
Nearly 57 per cent of Australians are fully vaccinated, while 82.5 per cent of Brits are, though all state and international borders are not expected to be open until regional and national vaccination rates hit 80 per cent.
With players and management informed over the weekend of what life will look like for them in Australia, the ECB board is set to make a final decision on whether to go ahead with the trip by the end of the week.
An ECB statement read: "Over the weekend we have been talking to England men's players and management to provide them with the latest information about the proposed arrangements for this winter's scheduled Ashes Tour.
"We remain in regular and positive dialogue with Cricket Australia over these arrangements as the picture is constantly evolving.
"With health and wellbeing at the forefront, our focus is to ensure the Tour can go ahead with conditions for players and management to perform at their best.
"We will continue talking to our players this week to share the latest information and seek feedback.
"Later this week the ECB Board will meet to decide whether the conditions in place are sufficient for the Tour to go ahead and enable the selection of a squad befitting a series of this significance."
Dustin Poirier has agreed to challenge Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title in December.
After lengthy talks, Poirier, who has a 28-6 record, confirmed on Sunday that he will go up against Oliveira, tweeting "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."
ESPN subsequently reported the 32-year-old's representatives had confirmed the bout will take place at UFC 269 on December 11, as Poirier looks to continue an impressive 2021.
He has twice beaten Conor McGregor this year, first in January at UFC 257 and then again at UFC 264 six months later.
Poirier, a former interim champion, previously challenged former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, though lost via submission.
Oliveira, a year Poirier's junior, will be a similarly stern test. The Brazilian took the title in May after defeating Michael Chandler and is on a nine-fight winning run.
Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann defended Dayot Upamecano's performance in Sunday's 2-1 Bundesliga upset at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt.
A run of 30 matches without defeat at home was snapped by Eintracht, who stunned the Bundesliga champions and leaders thanks to Martin Hinteregger and Filip Kostic at Allianz Arena.
Upamecano was criticised following his display, with the off-season recruit from RB Leipzig punished for losing possession as Kostic scored the 83rd-minute winner.
Asked about France international centre-back Upamecano, Nagelsmann told reporters: "I didn't have a conversation with Dayot Upamecano yet. After the game, there is sadly no time for me.
"The whole chain, has done a lot of steps forward in the recent weeks. They have done it better before though. They were all not so clear with their actions.
"That's why the opponent had that many counter attacks. Kostic has done it very hard for us today and has scored the goal in that duel.
"Upa has played a lot of good games since he is here and today a weaker one. That can happen."
Bayern had been in scintillating form heading into this match against Eintracht, whom they had beaten in 12 successive home league matches prior to Sunday's visit.
Nagelsmann's Bayern, who last tasted defeat on home soil in the German top flight against Bayer Leverkusen some 31 games ago, are now level with the latter atop the summit heading into the international break.
"First of all, congratulations Oliver [Glasner] and your team," Nagelsmann said after Leon Goretzka's 29th-minute opener was cancelled out within three minutes. "I think this was a game, which we didn't need to lose. It started to look like this in the second half, where we did not have a good structure anymore. This game wasn't a lot different, from the games before, just the result was.
"We did have a lot of chances today and unlike in [Dynamo] Kiev and Bochum, we just didn't score the goals. We only scored one, which could have been enough. Despite that, the game was very similar. Now it is the international break and we will have some time afterwards to go over those scenarios. There is a lot to take out of the last three games, where we could have done similar things better, want to make better and will do better. In the end, there were two very dangerous counter attacks. Once we had a lot of luck, that Frankfurt did not pass the ball deeper earlier, to then go 2-0 ahead.
"Instead Manuel [Neuer] was able to get the ball. With the goal we conceded, we had a feeling in the second half. [Djibril] Sow had a lot of time on the ball and dribbled four metres sideways. That was most of the time like this. Very rarely, Frankfurt had the pressure to pass the ball into the depth. Instead, they had a lot of time in their actions. That cost us the true pressure-phase in the second half.
"We weren't able to build up the pressure, from a secured defence. In nine out of 10 situations, we got out of our box. We had to run then back into that deep block, then one counter, we couldn't get and that went in. Whether we deserved it or not, we had 20 shots on target to their five and it doesn't matter if it was deserved. We lost. Frankfurt did well and we could have done a lot of things better to win. It is like this now, that's why I will still continue and we will look forward to the game against Leverkusen after the international break."
Casper Ruud rolled past Cameron Norrie at the San Diego Open for this fifth ATP Tour title of the season.
Ruud – the second seed – was too strong for Brit Norrie, winning 6-0 6-2 in Sunday's ATP 250 final.
Norway's Ruud earned his first hard-court trophy at the expense of Norrie and Tour-leading fifth title of 2021, ahead of world number one Novak Djokovic, US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Olympic Games gold medallist Alexander Zverev (all four).
Ruud broke serve five times to boost his chances of qualifying for next month's ATP Finals in Turin.
"Special thanks to Rod, obviously the legend. I think you need to come to all my matches now because I'm playing really good when you come and watch," Ruud said after receiving the trophy from Rod Laver.
"I hope you will come to Indian Wells next week to watch, so let's see [what happens there]!"
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is "very open" to a new contract with the MLB franchise.
Ohtani will become a free agent after the 2023 season and he sparked question marks over his future, having insisted his top priority is winning following another losing campaign in Los Angeles.
An American League (AL) MVP frontrunner with 46 homers at the plate and a 3.18 ERA on the mound, Ohtani was unable to prevent the Angels from a sixth successive losing season and a seventh consecutive campaign without playoff baseball.
Prior to Sunday's season finale – a 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners – Ohtani was asked about his future in Los Angeles.
"Of course, I'll be very open to negotiation. The team is supporting me for this whole four years, and I'm really appreciative of that," Ohtani said before hitting another home run.
"Whether or not there's any contract extensions I just want to, like I said earlier, be ready and be ready for next season."
Japanese sensation Ohtani, 27, added: "I was really happy to get through the season without any injuries.
"And honestly, I wish I could have done a season like this a little earlier. This is my fourth year, so I think it took a little too long."
"I think the biggest thing is the guys that we have right now, we need to have an offseason so we can stay healthy the whole next year so we could compete," Ohtani said.
"Any addition during the offseason, I'll be looking forward to seeing all the additions that they're going to make."
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet in the American League (AL) Wild Card showdown after winning late to deny the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.
Four teams were vying for two AL Wild Card berths on a chaotic finale to the MLB's regular season, with the possibility of a four-way tie.
While the Mariners went down to the Los Angeles Angels 7-3, the Blue Jays crushed the lowly Baltimore Orioles 12-4 to give themselves a chance of forcing a Game 163 as they watched the Yankees and Red Sox contests anxiously.
But the Yankees and Red Sox produced two clutch hits to secure their spot in the play-offs.
Aaron Judge drove home the winning run in the ninth inning of the Yankees' 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, while the Red Sox overturned a 5-1 deficit to trump the Washington Nationals 7-5 behind Rafael Devers' two-run homer in the ninth.
Giants win NL West on final day
The San Francisco Giants clinched the National League (NL) West title for the first time since 2012 with a 11-4 rout of the San Diego Padres. San Francisco denied World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers thanks to their franchise-record 107th victory of the season, eclipsing the 1904 New York team. The Dodgers topped the Milwaukee Brewers 10-3 to settle for an NL Wild Card meeting with the St Louis Cardinals.
Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (48) – alongside Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals – and Padres sensation Fernando Tatis Jr. (42) ended the regular season as the home run leaders in their respective leagues. It is the first time in AL-NL history both leagues were led by players aged 22 or younger thanks to Guerrero and Tatis.
Dodgers star Trea Turner became the first NL player to lead the league in hits in back-to-back seasons since Terry Pendleton in 1991 and 1992. On the back of his second grand slam in 48 hours, Turner finished with 195 hits. He also won the NL batting title (.328), ahead of Washington's Juan Soto. Yuli Gurriel (.319) of the Houston Astros claimed the AL title.
Corbin Burnes became the first Brewers pitcher to earn an ERA title, having topped the NL at 2.43, beating Dodgers starters Max Scherzer (2.46) and Walker Buehler (2.47) to the honour. Toronto's Robbie Ray (2.84) led the AL's ERA standings.
Injury worries
The Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers all have injury concerns heading into the Wild Card round. Yankees star DJ LeMahieu landed on the injured list due to a hip/groin problem ahead of Sunday's game. Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez exited in the sixth inning with a sprained left ankle. Meanwhile, Dodgers slugger Max Muncy is "very unlikely" to feature in the NL Wild Card Game because of a left elbow injury sustained in the third inning.
Guerrero breaks record
Having earned a share of the AL home run title, Guerrero made history. His 48 homers are the most in a season by a player aged 22 or younger, eclipsing Eddie Matthews (47 in 1953).
Sunday's results
Los Angeles Angels 7-3 Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox 7-5 Washington Nationals
Cincinnati Reds 6-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Cleveland Indians 6-0 Texas Rangers
San Francisco Giants 11-4 San Diego Padres
New York Yankees 1-0 Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays 12-4 Baltimore Orioles
Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers 5-2 Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Dodgers 10-3 Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins 7-3 Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros 7-6 Oakland Athletics
Miami Marlins 5-4 Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago Cubs 3-2 St Louis Cardinals
Atlanta Braves 5-0 New York Mets
Yankees at Red Sox
The famous Yankees and Red Sox rivalry will take centre stage for Tuesday's AL Wild Card blockbuster in Boston. Gerrit Cole will face Nathan Eovaldi in a mouth-watering pitching matchup. The winner will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series (ALDS), starting Wednesday.
Milan head coach Stefano Pioli encouraged his players to "dream" of winning the Scudetto after equalling their best-ever start to a Serie A season thanks to a 3-2 win at Atalanta.
The Rossoneri held on to secure victory away to Atalanta and move into second place on 19 points after seven league fixtures, matching the record they set in the title-winning 2003-04 campaign.
Davide Calabria opened the scoring after less than 30 seconds – the third-fastest goal in Serie A for Milan since the 2004-05 season (since Opta started to collect this data), with only Rafael Leao (six seconds against Sassuolo) and Sulley Muntari (18 seconds against Juventus) netting faster.
Sandro Tonali and Leo were also on target for high-flying Milan as Pioli welcomed talk of a trophy challenge.
"We have to play to win every single game, we played with quality and energy," Pioli said, with Milan searching for their first Serie A crown since 2010-11.
"This test closes a positive period in which the team has always responded, even in Champions League defeats. It means we are growing.
"Is Tonali talking about the Scudetto? It's right that the guys ride this dream, at every game we have the chance to show that we can compete.
"It's a two-year journey, but now we must not be satisfied, but remaining humble and respecting our opponents. Tonight we did well what we missed in the first half hour against Liverpool, we were very dynamic."
Pioli also reserved special praise for former Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie, who has featured regularly for Milan this term despite having just one year left on his contract.
It remains to be seen whether Kessie will remain at San Siro beyond 2021-22 amid links with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.
"[I] never had doubts about Franck's behaviour, the contract events exist but he played an amazing game," Pioli said.
"[It was a] high level from everyone, but his, in particular, was an excellent race from a physical and technical point of view. He remains a regular member of this team, but like other members of the squad."
Milan will look to continue their title charge when they host Hellas Verona at San Siro on October 16 after the upcoming international break.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
