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• Lando Norris says drivers should receive ‘harsher penalties’ for blocking

  Lando Norris has called for stronger punishments to be dished out for blocking other drivers after Max Verstappen escaped grid sanctions at the Singapore Grand Prix.

  Verstappen was under three separate investigations following qualifying – one for stopping at the pit lane exit, one for impeding Logan Sargeant and another for getting in the way of Yuki Tsunoda in Q2 – but only received a 5,000 euros (£4,308) fine.

  Norris believes that more responsibility should be placed on the driver to avoid such incidents.

  “I think the blocking one on track should have been a penalty,” Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

  “If you block someone, it is not just down to the team – I know the team got a fine – but it should be down to the driver as well.

  “You have to look in your mirrors. You have nothing else to do the whole lap but look in your mirrors and it seems like a lot of people struggle to do that.

  “There should be harsher penalties for blocking. So many people do it.

  “It ruins your lap, ruins your qualifying. It put Yuki out in qualifying, he was P1 in Q1.

  “Nobody seems to care enough. It has happened a lot this season, it has happened to me quite a few times – especially with certain teams – but it is down to the driver to look in the mirror.

  “I will probably block someone this weekend now and make myself look stupid.”

  Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both among the cars held up by Verstappen’s wait at the pit exit and the seven-time world champion says there has to be more consistency in the decision making.

  “I didn’t really see them, I was in the pit lane when everyone stopped and I couldn’t see what was happening ahead,” Hamilton said.

  “We always push and work as closely as we can with the FIA to achieve consistency and there are some variations so we have to continue to work on that.”

  Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who also held up, added: “I was a bit surprised (there was not a stronger penalty), especially with the one in the pit lane as that could open some quite bad situations in the future.

  “It is always an open discussion with the FIA, trying to explain what our point of view is. I am sure we will have that discussion at the briefing.”

  Verstappen, who arrives in Japan with a 151-point lead in the drivers’ championship, feels that every incident has to be judged individually by the stewards.

  He said: “Every single instance is different.

  “The only thing I can say about Singapore is that I explained what happened when I was sitting in the car and the information that was given to me.

  “That is all I can do and it is up to the stewards to make that call.”

• Jamaican Rallycross sensation Fraser McConnell claims second Extreme E win

  Jamaican rallycross sensation Fraser McConnell claimed his second Extreme E victory of the season in Round 8 of the championships in Sardinia, Italy. McConnell and his teammate Cristina Gutierrez, drove a flawless race to take the win for X44 Vida Carbon Racing, the team formed by seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

  McConnell got off to a great start, taking a wide line into the first turn to sweep past Johan Kristoffersson and Sebastien Loeb. He maintained his lead throughout the race, with Gutierrez bringing the car home 5.813s clear of Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky after the mid-race driver change.

  The 25-year-old McConnell was delighted with the team's performance stating, "It's amazing to get a result like this. Cristina and I had our heads down and drove four strong, clean laps in the final. We did everything we could to extract some advantage and find some little tricks to help us go faster than the rest. As always, the team worked tirelessly to ensure the car was in tip-top shape."

  The win moves X44 Vida Carbon Racing up to fifth in the standings on 87 points, with just the final leg in Antofagasta, Chile to come on December 2 and 3.

  "The Championship is so competitive with so many world-class drivers so to be able to put Lewis Hamilton's team on the top step for round 8 is an amazing feeling," said McConnell. "We're going into Chile with our heads high and hoping for more."

• Carvalhal 'saw football in a different way' after unsuccessful Premier League stint

  Carlos Carvalhal says he and his coaching staff "changed almost everything" about their approach to football after suffering relegation from the Premier League with Swansea City in 2018.

  Carvalhal made a name for himself in the English game by leading Sheffield Wednesday to the Championship play-off final in 2016, where they were beaten by Hull City.

  Wednesday were then beaten in the semi-finals after finishing fourth under Carvalhal in 2016-17. That remains their highest second-tier finish since 1990-91, when they were promoted in third.

  However, Carvalhal left the Owls for Swansea City in December 2017, only winning eight of 25 games in south Wales and overseeing their relegation from the Premier League the following May.

  Carvalhal has since enjoyed something of a renaissance with the likes of Rio Ave and Braga, before moving to Spain to keep Celta Vigo up with a final-day victory over Barcelona last season. 

  The Portuguese coach is proud of his achievements since leaving English football, claiming his stint at Swansea provoked a change in his approach to the game.

  "After England, we were at Sheffield Wednesday for two and half years and half a year at Swansea, then we stopped for one season," Carvalhal told Stats Perform at the Thinking Football Summit.

  "We decided to stop and reflect on the things that we did and the things that we wanted to do in the future. We changed almost everything. In this moment, we saw football in a different way. 

  "We are not basing it on the system [anymore], we are basing it on spaces and creating spaces. It's the way that we look at football, completely differently, like a chess player looking at the table.

  "The results were fantastic, I can tell you. 

  "We took a big risk to go to Rio Ave. Rio Ave is a medium club in Portugal. We were in the Premier League, and nobody from the Premier League goes to Rio Ave. But we decided to go there because it's a calm club, there were some good players, we could put our ideas on the pitch. 

  "The reality was that we achieved Europa League [qualification]. Braga the same, we continued improving, in Celta Vigo we improved and we have stopped now to refresh a little again.

  "I know €14 million was raised in Rio Ave with the players that we developed, which is very good for the club. Almost €100 million at Braga, and now in Celta Vigo with Gabri Veiga and Javi Galan probably about €50 million. So we are improving players.

  "It's something that of course we are very proud of and something that we want to do in the future in the next challenge."

  Carvalhal oversaw Rio Ave's best points return in their Primeira Liga history in 2019-20 (55 points), before leading Braga to their third – and most recent – Taca de Portugal one year later.

  The 57-year-old has been out of work since leaving Celta in June, but he is ready to get back into the game and believes taking regular breaks is crucial to stay fresh.

  "The gaps, I need to rest for my mental health, which I care about. Usually, you never see me have problems with other coaches, with referees and so on, because of these kinds of things.

  "I decided [to move] because we did very well [at Braga]. We did the best the club has done in its history. In two seasons, we won the cup and we reached three finals. 

  "We achieved the quarter-final of the Europa League, 17 players from the academy played in the first team. At Celta Vigo, we arrived at the club in a very difficult position. We finished in 13th. 

  "There's a lot of pressure. So I spoke with my staff, I said I need to stop for three or four months and after, we go back to the market. So at this moment, we are on the market again. 

  "We are not under pressure, it's not about money. We can't say that we don't ever go for the money because we never know what will happen tomorrow, but I would prefer to go because of passion and football. Let's see what happens."