Max Verstappen has seen numerous records fall his way this season and one of the most illustrious is up for grabs this weekend in Mexico, where a victory would take him to 14 for the season.
Such a win would see him become the driver to have won the most races in a single season, having joined Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel on 13 with his success in the United States.
That triumph was his ninth this season without starting in pole, surpassing Lewis Hamilton (eight) for the most such wins in a single campaign, and will be full of confidence given a stellar record in Mexico - where he has prevailed three times (2018, 2019, 2021). Verstappen and Jim Clark share the record for the most Mexican Grand Prix wins.
Red Bull also have a team record in their sight, having now won eight races in a row to stand one shy of the nine victories in a row they secured in 2013, which is the sixth-longest winning streak for a team in F1 history.
While Verstappen and Red Bull are in search of further records, Lewis Hamilton is looking to avoid one as he is still in search of his first victory in 2022 and the Mercedes driver was strong in the United States.
The British driver has never finished a Formula One season in his career without a race win and has just three grands prix to ensure that this is not the year when he stands winless for the first time.
Much of the attention will continue to be off the track, however, with Red Bull's cost-cap breach in 2021 yet to be resolved and dominating the discussions, though a final outcome should be right around the corner.
Pole variety
The Mexican Grand Prix has seen 10 different racers on pole position in the last 10 editions, a record that will almost certainly be extended after qualifying on Saturday as 2021 pole sitter Valtteri Bottas is now at Alfa Romeo.
The last driver to win consecutive pole positions in this race was Ayrton Senna in 1988 and 1989.
Leclerc's late change
Charles Leclerc was Max Verstappen's biggest threat early in the season but a plethora of problems derailed the title ambitions of the Ferrari driver, with mistakes, bad luck and mechanical issues all plaguing his performances.
Some consistency has been found recently, however, with Leclerc finishing on the podium in each of his last five Formula One races – his longest such run in his career.
Audi and Sauber have announced their partnership in Formula One, which will see the team race as a factory entrant from 2026.
Confirmation of Audi's move into Formula One had been announced earlier this year and it was long expected that the Swiss team would become the home for the German car giant.
Wednesday's announcement sets out the future for the Sauber team, who see their branding deal with Alfa Romeo expire at the end of 2023 and will have two further seasons with Ferrari as an engine supplier before the unification with Audi.
Formula One's engine supplier regulations have been adapted from 2026 onwards, encouraging new entrants to come forward, and Audi is among them alongside sister company Porsche, who are looking for a partnership of their own on the grid.
Finn Rausing, the chairman of Sauber Holding, said in a statement: "Audi is the best partner for the Sauber Group. It is clear that both companies share the same values and vision. We are looking forward to achieving our common goals with a strong and successful partnership."
Manchester United have been charged by the Football Association (FA) for the second time in a little over a week for failing to control their players.
The latest incident is in relation to their protests over a Chelsea penalty during Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw.
United were incensed by Stuart Attwell's decision to award a spot-kick for a Scott McTominay foul on Armando Broja, which was subsequently converted by Jorginho in the 87th minute.
While Casemiro rescued a point in injury time, the reaction of United's players when crowding the official has seen them hit with another charge from the FA for their actions.
It is United's second breach of FA rules this month, having been accused of failing to control their players after Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal disallowed in their goalless draw with Newcastle United on October 16.
An FA statement on Wednesday read: "Manchester United FC has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1 following its Premier League game against Chelsea FC on Saturday 22nd October in the Premier League.
"Manchester United FC allegedly failed to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 84th minute, and the club has until Friday 28th October to provide a response."
Manchester United must "show consistency" before they can discuss if they are catching up with their rivals, according to Christian Eriksen.
The Denmark international arrived during the close season at Old Trafford alongside new boss Erik ten Hag, with the Dutchman tasked in ensuring a turnaround in fortunes for United.
Following a rocky start to the campaign, the Premier League side have shown vast improvements since, albeit with some less-than-stellar results – such as a derby thrashing from Manchester City –along the way.
Ahead of Thursday's Europa League tie with Sheriff, which United enter unbeaten in six games, Eriksen played down suggestions there is more pressure upon United than his former clubs, adding he feels they are making strides forward.
"The pressure has been the same, the focus on the outside is bigger," he stated. "Publicity around the club is bigger but pressure around the football, I don't feel it.
"I think you can see the development in the games, how we go into them. You see it with the fans and with us. But we need to show our consistency before we can compare to other teams."
With the season set to be bisected by the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Eriksen could be eyeing a return to major tournament football a year and a half on from suffering cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
But he says his focus remains on club matters for now, adding: "For every footballer it is the same. We are focused on the next game."
Jos Buttler hopes to refocus England for a "massive" T20 World Cup encounter with Australia following their "poor" loss to Ireland at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
A rain-affected encounter ultimately came to a close with a famous victory for Andrew Balbirnie's side, with a five-run triumph via the DLS method.
With a win and a loss to their name so far, England's hopes of progression through to the semi-finals from a competitive Group 1 have taken a hit, though New Zealand's washout against Afghanistan will come as a boost.
Regardless, Buttler was left frustrated by his side's performance, and acknowledges their next match at the MCG, with their Ashes rivals, will be a do-or-die test.
"We were poor," he told the BBC's Test Match Special. "We were a long way short of where we needed to be, and we let Ireland get away from us. We won the toss, but we didn't take advantage.
"Friday is massive. This result has put a lot of pressure on us now, but it is as big as it can get, to get us up for it at the MCG."
Balbirnie, whose 62 helped lay the groundwork for Ireland's victory, hailed the result as "pretty special", particularly to achieve it on Melbourne's hallowed ground.
"It's amazing, and it is emotional," he said. "We've never played a game of cricket here.
"To come here and play the tournament favourites, with so many big names, and put on a show in front of friends and family and so many people around the world is very satisfying.
"To do this at one of the most amazing cricket grounds in the world is pretty special."
Cristiano Ronaldo is back in Manchester United's squad for Thursday's Europa League tie with Sheriff, but manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed Raphael Varane will not play again before the World Cup.
Portugal international Ronaldo was dropped by United for Saturday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute and heading for the tunnel early in last week's 2-0 win over Tottenham.
The 37-year-old was also briefly excluded from first-team involvement, but he returned to training on Tuesday and will now be considered for selection against Sheriff at Old Trafford.
However, United will be without centre-back Varane until after the World Cup break, though Ten Hag did not reveal whether the France international will be fit in time for his country's Qatar 2022 campaign.
"Cristiano will be in the squad tomorrow. Rapha Varane isn't. He will be out until the World Cup," Ten Hag said at Wednesday's pre-match news conference.
Varane left the field in tears after sustaining a leg injury in the dramatic draw with Chelsea, with the defender now in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup, which begins on November 22 for France with a game against Australia.
Further pressed on a timeline for Varane's return to action, Ten Hag told reporters: "We will have to see how he develops, how his rehab will develop."
United will book a place in the knockout stage of the Europa League against Sheriff if they win, draw or avoid defeat by more than one goal.
Ten Hag also confirmed he will make a late decision on whether to field Harry Maguire, Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, all of whom returned to training this week.
New Zealand and Afghanistan were washed out in their second game of the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The two sides failed to even get onto the wicket after the bad weather that forced a premature end to England's DLS-assisted defeat to Ireland at the same venue stuck around.
With not even a single ball bowled, the two teams both receive a point, which moves New Zealand top outright in Group 1 and gets Afghanistan off the mark.
The former had thrashed hosts Australia in an 89-run rout on Saturday to start their tournament off, while the latter had been downed by England in a five-wicket loss the same day.
No result hands a lifeline in particular to England, who face Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka with just one win under their belt following their shock loss on Wednesday.
The Black Caps will next play Sri Lanka in Sydney, while Afghanistan will remain in Melbourne to face Ireland.
The Football Association (FA) is to take no disciplinary action after investigating a comment alleged to have been made by a player in last month's Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool.
A complaint was made regarding an exchange between two players in Arsenal's 3-2 win at Emirates Stadium on October 9.
However, following the conclusion of a "full and thorough investigation" – in which the accused player "strenuously denied the allegation throughout" – the FA announced on Wednesday the matter had been closed.
The FA added in a statement: "Whilst The FA is entirely satisfied that the allegation was made in good faith, it is equally satisfied that there is no case to answer."
It explained: "The investigation included taking witness statements from the complainant and accused, along with an additional six players who were within proximity of the alleged incident, reviewing multiple angles of video footage, and seeking independent linguistics experts evidence.
"None of the witnesses heard the alleged comment, and the player accused strenuously denied the allegation throughout."
The statement added: "The FA continues to take all allegations received extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who believes that they have been the subject of or witness to abuse to report this through the appropriate channels.
"The FA receives a number of complaints in any one season and thoroughly investigates each one that it receives. Following consideration of all of the evidence received, not all cases will result in a charge being issued."
Chelsea have announced the arrival of Laurence Stewart from Monaco as technical director with a focus on global football, in what is seen as the first move towards a multi-club model.
Stewart, a former performance analyst for England during the 2014 World Cup, will arrive at Stamford Bridge upon the completion of his tenure with the Ligue 1 outfit.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has made little secret of his desire to move the Premier League outfit towards a multi-club model, akin to Manchester City and the City Football Group, who own teams in 11 countries.
Stewart, who has experience with such a model through Monaco, appears to be arriving to help facilitate that vision, given the emphasis his role will have on global matters.
"Laurence is an important appointment as we plan to build a deep sporting team that will collaborate closely," Boehly said in a statement with co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali.
"[He's] a world-class football leader who understands talent management, data and scouting, player development and performance."
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald cut his ties with brand management agency Donda Sports amid further condemnation for its owner Kanye West.
The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year signed with the company following victory at Super Bowl LVI in February, alongside Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown.
But both men have now left the organisation amid further derogatory and antisemitic comments by its musician and businessmen founder, who is now known as Ye.
"We felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings," Donald said via a statement issued alongside his wife Erica.
"We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race."
Ye saw his ties severed with apparel giant Adidas on Tuesday, having held a near-decade-long lucrative sportswear partnership with the German brand.
England's T20 World Cup hopes were unexpectedly dented on Wednesday as they suffered a five-run defeat against Ireland in a rain-affected encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Jos Buttler's side were 105-5 after 14.3 overs, chasing a total of 157, when officials were left with no choice but to bring an early end to the contest amid a downpour in Victoria.
With the weather having already forced a delay upon the Group 1 game, time subsequently ran out for a restart, and with England trailing the DLS par of 110 by five runs, it was Andrew Balbirnie's men who took a famous win.
The Ireland captain has initially helped fire his team to their first innings total with 62 off 47 deliveries, though a flurry of wickets forced a collapse from 103-1 to restrict their final score.
But early losses for England saw them fail to strike any sense of rhythm, with Buttler (0) and Alex Hales (7) dismissed inside the first three overs as they limped to 86-5 following a poor power play.
Moeen Ali (24 not out) provided some hope, with fellow big-hitter Liam Livingstone (one not out) also at the crease, but the rain ensured there would be no grandstand finish.
Irish delight
England were strong favourites to claim a sixth T20I victory in a row away from home but failed to deliver against Ireland, the second-lowest ranked side in the competition.
It blows Group 1 wide open and means England will now likely need to beat Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in their remaining matches to advance to the semi-finals.
No late heroics
Moeen surpassed 1,000 runs for England in the format, making him the eighth player to do so, in what appeared to be a turning point as he struck three fours and one six.
Rain put paid to any hope of a late turnaround, though that is not to say Ireland were fortunate, with their result very much a deserved win on the back of a heavy loss to Sri Lanka.
Manchester United are "going in the right direction" under Erik ten Hag, but left-back Luke Shaw says the club know they "can do better".
Ten Hag arrived from Ajax at the close of a dismal 2021-22 campaign for United and was tasked with turning around their fortunes after another barren season.
Despite a rocky start, Ten Hag has since helped United rediscover their rhythms, having now strung together six games unbeaten in all competitions since derby defeat to Manchester City at the start of October.
Ahead of Thursday's Europa League encounter with Sheriff, Shaw reflected on the team's growth under their new boss, and feels there is still yet more to come.
"I think there has been a massive improvement," he told United's club website. "The start of the season was obviously nowhere near good enough, we all knew that, but I think, since then, we've taken a lot of big strides.
"We know we can do better – for example against Newcastle at home [earlier this month], we have to be winning those games and taking three points instead of one. But there has definitely been improvements."
Asked about Ten Hag's impact, Shaw said: "He speaks to the players individually quite a lot and I think, from the start of pre-season, I could see what sort of manager he was going to be and I was extremely impressed with the way he came across, not just in terms of how he speaks to you, but his ideas of how he wants his team to set up.
"His structure and the way he wants to play with the ball and without the ball – it was really impressive. Things obviously take time, but I think we're going in the right direction and I think it could be a really good next few months because I feel like we're taking the right steps."
Shaw has not been a guaranteed starter for United this term, battling Netherlands international Tyrell Malacia for his berth, but the England defender believes the contest between the two is bringing out the best in him.
"I really like Ty; I sit next to him in the changing room, and he's a really nice guy and an extremely good player," he added.
"He's still very young and we get on really well and, for both of us, it's nice to get on well with someone who is in your position."
Devin Booker loves and admires Klay Thompson, but that does not excuse him from being competitive after their verbal spar led to the Golden State Warriors guard's ejection from Tuesday's game.
Booker scored 34 points as the Phoenix Suns won 134-105 over the Warriors, with Thompson ejected for the first time in his career during a heated third quarter between two of the top Western Conference contenders at Footprint Center.
Thompson was thrown out of the game after consecutive technical fouls, instigated by a heated exchange with Booker that went on for several minutes.
The pair bumped chests and exchanged words, leading to double technicals for both players, but Thompson boiled over during an ensuing timeout and was thrown out after yelling at the officials, despite being restrained by Stephen Curry and assistant coach Chris DeMarco.
"I love Klay Thompson," Booker told ESPN during his on-court interview after the game. "I have from the beginning, from the draft coming out, I said I wanted to be Klay Thompson.
"But that doesn’t excuse us from competing against each other and talking a little mess with each other. I had fun with it. I'm a big fan of his and his competitive nature and that's that."
When asked at the press conference what Thompson said to Booker, he said: "They have four rings. Repeated over and over. And they do."
Thompson managed only two points on one-of-eight shooting, with that frustration boiling over, while Booker kept his composure to an extent. The Warriors guard was still shouting at the Suns bench as he was walked out following his ejection.
"He was having a tough night," Booker said. "I think everything plays into his frustration. I've been there before.
"You know what they have, they've got the four rings, they're going to use that in all the trash talk, rightfully so, respectfully. But that doesn't have anything to do with competing.
"I've always admired his game, how he plays on both sides of the ball and obviously the rings speak for themselves. Like I said, I'm going to bring it every time."
Thompson's ejection comes amid a sluggish start to the season for the five-time All-Star shooting guard, averaging 14.0 points on 40.5 per cent shooting from the field, while he has made eight-of-28 three-point attempts at 34.8 per cent.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr understood Thompson's frustration but tried to offer some perspective to his frustrated four-time NBA champion.
"One thing I will remind Klay on, he's had plenty of slow starts in his career," Kerr said. "I remember several years ago where he really struggled for the three-point line in his first four or five games.
"Klay cares so much about the game, his own impact on our team. He wants it so badly and he's trying to force everything right now. He's trying too hard. I'll remind him of that."
Liverpool can seal progression to the Champions League last 16 when they play on Wednesday, but Barcelona could see their exit confirmed from Europe's top competition.
Jurgen Klopp's Reds make the trip to face Ajax in Group A knowing they are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League at the very least – and simply avoiding defeat would guarantee their place in the Champions League knockout stages.
It is a more dicey affair for Xavi's Barca, however, as they welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou in Group C knowing a loss would spell the end of their journey. Even a win will not be enough if Inter defeat Viktoria Plzen.
Tottenham will hope to keep their noses in front in Group D, with Marseille and Sporting CP just a point behind, while Atletico Madrid have work to do in Group B.
Stats Perform previews Wednesday's eight matches by picking through the Opta data.
Ajax v Liverpool
Ajax have made for generous opponents for Liverpool of late, losing their last three against the Reds in the Champions League. Only Juventus (four, 1997-2004) and Real Madrid (seven, 2010-2019) have previously won four in a row against Ajax in the European Cup or Champions League.
Yet Ajax remain the last Dutch side to achieve a home win against Liverpool, albeit that was back in 1966, with the Premier League side unbeaten in seven subsequent trips to the Netherlands.
Liverpool's countrymen have also made hay, as Ajax have won just one of their last eight home European matches against English teams, beating Manchester City in October 2012.
With or without another strong result, this will be an historic occasion for Liverpool and Klopp, who will match Rafael Benitez's 62 Champions League matches in charge of the Reds, who bring up 150 games in the competition.
Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Needing a win, Barca might have hoped to face any team but Bayern, who have a record three Champions League away wins at the Blaugrana. Along with Juventus and Real Madrid, they are one of three teams to have won more matches at Barca than they have lost.
Home and away, Barca have lost nine of their 12 Champions League matches against Bayern, including the past five in a row.
In fact, if Bayern win again, they will match Madrid's record of 10 wins against a single opponent in the competition – Madrid's dominance coming against Bayern.
Although Bayern are already through, they are seeking a fourth home-and-away double against Barca in a Champions League season (also 1998-99, 2012-13 and 2021-22). Dynamo Kyiv (in 1997-98) are the only other team to beat Barca twice in the same campaign even once.
Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting CP
Sporting won 2-0 against Tottenham in Portugal in what was the sides' first meeting, but they have a dismal record in England, with two victories in 15 attempts away to English sides.
Spurs have won six of their seven home European matches against Portuguese opposition, only losing to Benfica in the 2013-14 Europa League.
Both of Tottenham's wins in this campaign have come at home, where Antonio Conte is bidding to become just the second Spurs coach to win each of his first three at home in the Champions League – after Harry Redknapp.
He and Tottenham will know they must keep their focus early and late; Sporting's last three Champions League goals have come in either the first or last minutes of the match, netting twice in second-half stoppage time in the reverse fixture.
Atletico Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico have not lost at home to Leverkusen in their prior four such matches, winning two and drawing two, but the Bundesliga team have started to turn the tide, winning two in a row against them in the Champions League.
That strong home record applies whenever Atletico face German opposition, though, as Borussia Dortmund were the last Bundesliga visitors to win there in 1996. Atleti are unbeaten in 11 since.
Diego Simeone needs his team to rediscover their scoring touch, having gone three without a goal in the Champions League.
That is their worst run under Simeone. Only once in the competition have Atletico gone four without netting, back in 2009 under Abel Resino.
Other fixtures:
Club Brugge v Porto
21 – Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has saved all 21 of the shots on target he has faced in the Champions League this season. He has prevented a competition-leading 4.9 goals, according to expected goals on target data.
4 – Four of Porto's last seven Champions League goals have come from the penalty spot.
Inter v Viktoria Plzen
12 – Inter have scored 12 of their last 14 Champions League goals in the second halves of matches. All three against Barca last time out came after the interval – only the third time an away team has netted three second-half goals at Camp Nou in this competition.
28 – Plzen have averaged just 28 per cent of the possession in the Champions League this season, the lowest average by a team in a single season since Opta data collection began in 2003-04.
Napoli v Rangers
4 – Napoli have won all four of their matches in the Champions League this season and could become the first Italian side to win their opening five games in a single campaign since Juventus in 2004-05.
12 – No goalkeeper has faced more shots on target (29) or conceded more goals (12) than Rangers' Allan McGregor in the Champions League this season. Indeed, he has only kept four clean sheets in 21 appearances in the competition overall.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Marseille
50 – Eintracht Frankfurt's Mario Gotze could make his 50th start in the Champions League in this match. He has been involved in 25 goals in his previous 65 appearances, including 21 in his 49 starts.
3 – Marseille have won their last two games in the Champions League – both against Sporting CP – and will be looking to win three in a row for the first time since October-December 2010, when they won four on the spin under Didier Deschamps.
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
