1. Hamilton eyes more F1 records
Lewis Hamilton may have already secured his sixth Formula 1 world championship but with two races remaining in 2019 the Mercedes star still has more records in his sights.
Ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 1 December, Sky Sports reports that the British driver is on track to secure the highest season points tally and most podium finishes for a season.
Hamilton is currently on 381 points and is 27 away from the 408 he won last year. The F1 record for most podiums in a season is 17 – Hamilton is on 16.
Victory in either Brazil or Abu Dhabi will also see the 34-year-old equal his personal best of 11 wins in one season. He won 11 times in 2014 and 2018 and is currently on ten victories in 2019. However, out of his reach is the overall record for most wins in a season, 13, jointly held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
2. BBC to show Formula E
The BBC will show all 14 races of the 2019-20 Formula E season across its network.
Each race will be broadcast live on the BBC’s online platforms and the Marrakesh E-Prix on 29 February and the Rome E-Prix on 4 April will also be live on the BBC’s network channels.
The 2019-20 Formula E season starts on 22-23 November in Saudi Arabia.
3. Root to drop down order to No.4
England captain Joe Root says he will return to No.4 in the batting order for the Test series against New Zealand.
The first Test starts on 20 November and Root said of the No.4 spot: “I’d like to be consistent with it now, moving forward. It doesn’t always work exactly how you want it to but it would be nice for that to be the case.
“I just think it suits my game a little bit more. It definitely fits in with captaincy a little bit better for me.
“I know previous captains have preferred to get out there early and just get amongst it but I quite like to split the two and to really focus on my batting. I’ve found over time that, generally, I’ve consistently played better in that position.”
4. Test cricket returns to Pakistan
Pakistan have announced they will play a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in December. It will be the first Test matches held in the country since 2009 when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore.
The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take place from 11-15 December in Rawalpindi and the second Test is from 19-23 December in Karachi.
5. Liverpool join race for Sancho
It’s reported that Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho is a target for Premier League leaders Liverpool. England international Sancho, 19, has previously been linked with Manchester United.
6. Zlatan conquers LA – what next?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed that he will leave Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy after two seasons.
The 38-year-old Swedish striker wrote on Twitter: “I came, I saw, I conquered. Thank you @lagalaxy for making me feel alive again. To the Galaxy fans – you wanted Zlatan, I gave you Zlatan. You are welcome. The story continues… Now go back to watch baseball.”
Ibrahimovic has been linked with Italian clubs AC Milan and Bologna and Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
7. Djokovic and Federer go head-to-head
The 2019 ATP Finals continue at The O2 in London and tonight’s big match-up sees Novak Djokovic go head-to-head with Roger Federer (from 8pm, live on Amazon Prime Sport).
The winner of the Group Bjorn Borg round-robin match will join Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals and the loser will be knocked out of the tournament.
In Group Andre Agassi Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to the last four while Rafa Nadal gave his chances a boost after beating Daniil Medvedev last night.
8. Best to captain the Barbarians
Former Ireland and Ulster captain Rory Best will skipper the Barbarians in Saturday’s match against Fiji at Twickenham. England’s Eddie Jones will coach the Baa-Baas.
Barbarians starting XV
- David Havili, Dillyn Leyds, Mathieu Bastareaud, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Joe Powell; Tendai Mtawarira, Rory Best, Enrique Pieretto, Luke Jones, Tyler Ardron, Pete Samu, Marco van Staden, Josh Strauss
- Replacements: Andrew Makalio, Campese Ma’afu, Hencus van Wyk, Angus Cottrell, Matt Philip, Jano Vermaak, Lukhanyo Am, Morne Steyn.
9. Gunners eye Juve defender Demiral
According to reports in Turkey Arsenal are “monitoring” Juventus defender Merih Demiral. The 21-year-old is also being watched by Atletico Madrid, but the Gunners are believed to be leading the race.
Turkish international Demiral was first linked to Arsenal in October and the north London club could be ready to meet Juve’s asking price of £34m.
Arsenal transfer news: Orel Mangala in, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira out?
10. England need a point to qualify
England only need one point from tonight’s match against Montenegro to qualify for next summer’s European Championships. The fixture at Wembley – England’s 1,000th international – kicks off at 7.45pm and is live on ITV.
The Three Lions’s final Euro 2020 qualifier is on Sunday in Kosovo.
Gareth Southgate’s midfield conundrum: a lack of drive in England’s engine room
Today’s back pages
Raheem Sterling has the hump, but he’ll start in Kosovo
