Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted there was no reason for Sergio Perez not to have followed Max Verstappen through the field and scored big points at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

After another Q2 elimination in qualifying, albeit just a place behind team-mate Verstappen before the three-time champion’s five-place grid penalty, Perez started 12th. Yet, after a race that included an early spin, another battle with potential successor Liam Lawson and a red-flag delay, the Mexican could only manage to make up one place by the end of the race.

That was in stark contrast to Verstappen, who remarkably recovered from 17th on the grid to take his first victory since the Spanish Grand Prix.

“It was a difficult race for Checo,” explained Horner in the aftermath.

“Spinning at the beginning of the race drops him down. It was an opportunity in the constructors’ to take a big chunk out of both Ferrari and McLaren and unfortunately, we’ve not been able to capitalise on that.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, sprays mud as he tries to rejoin after a spin

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“Obviously, that’s frustrating, but we’ll go away and have a look at it and come back hopefully fighting hard in Vegas.”

On whether there was a technical reason holding Perez back from matching Verstappen’s charge through the field, Horner said: “Not that I’m [aware of]. There was nothing evident to me in the race.”

The failure to reach the points as McLaren and Ferrari remained ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ standings in spite of Verstappen’s penalty has led to further pressure on Perez as his future remains in doubt.

Asked whether Red Bull had now reached the point at which a driver change is a necessity, Horner replied: “Everything in life is subjective.

“You’ve got to look at the facts. We’re working hard with Checo. He had a chassis change this weekend. I thought he drove a good [sprint] race but [the grand prix] wasn’t his day.”

FC Goa registered a 2-1 victory over Punjab FC on Wednesday in the Indian Super League marking their second consecutive win to climb to the top-three in standings.

Having played their second match in five days, FC Goa maintained their excellent form after breaking Bengaluru FC’s unbeaten streak 3-0, gaining a significant boost in confidence.

The win was thanks to the efforts of Iker Garrotxena, who scored one in the 49th minute and assisted in another scored by Armando Sadiku in the 22nd minute.

Punjab FC took the early lead through Asmir Sujik’s strike in the 13th minute.

However, the advantage lasted only nine minutes, as Sadiku equalised with a well-executed finish after a pass from Garrotxena.

The teams were unable to capitalise on further chances, and the first half ended 1-1.

In the second-half, FC Goa played with greater pace and intensity.

This paid off just four minutes after the break when Garrotxena scored the winning goal in the 49th minute.

He made no mistake with a left-footed strike from six yards.

The goal proved crucial, as FC Goa managed to hold on to their lead despite Punjab FC’s persistent efforts to level the score.

Both teams fought hard in the remaining 41 minutes, including injury time, but the defense from both sides stood firm, preventing any further goals.

With this victory, FC Goa moved to third place in the standings with 12 points from eight matches, having secured three wins.

Punjab FC, on the other hand, suffered their second defeat in six matches.

MANCHESTER UNITED and Arsenal are reportedly locked in a battle to sign Leroy Sane on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.

The former Manchester City star, 28, is out of contract next summer.

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He has lost his place in Bayern’s starting XI to summer signing Michael Olise.

And a new deal does not look to be forthcoming from Vincent Kompany’s side, who he has helped win three titles in 185 games.

Sane can strike a pre-contract agreement with clubs from January, with a host of top European sides linked.

But Bild claims the strongest interest is emerging from England, where Sane previously spent three seasons playing for Man City.

He won two titles and an FA Cup in 135 outings at the Etihad.

Yet Sane could soon end up playing for the red side of the town as rivals Man United have made an enquiry.

Incoming new boss Ruben Amorim is already drawing up a list of targets to boost his squad.

And Sane is strongly appreciated by the Portuguese tactician, as well as United’s transfer hierarchy of sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

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But the Red Devils aren’t the only English side interested in Sane.

Arsenal are also fans of the German winger and could look to enter negotiations next year.

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Mikel Arteta has made plenty of experienced signings during his time at the Emirates and Sane would give him options on both flanks, as well as through the middle.

However, both United and Arsenal could be left empty-handed as Sane is reportedly keen to stay at Bayern and will not make a decision on his future while the prospect of staying remains on the table.

Elsewhere, Sky Germany claims United are also interested in Sane’s Bayern teammate Leon Goretzka.

Amorim is said to want a central midfielder in the role of a modern number eight this winter.

Goretzka, 29, is in his seventh season with Bayern and has won five titles, plus a Champions League, in 229 outings.

Like Sane, he has also fallen down the pecking order and could be open to an exit.

United are also though to be looking for an “affordable” striker, with £35million summer signing Joshua Zirkzee so far failing to impress.

Steph Curry passed NBA legend Charles Barkley on the all-time scoring list as the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 118-112 on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old, a four-time NBA Championship winner, registered 27 points on the night, plus a triple double, as he moved to 30th on the all-time list and the Warriors sealed their fifth consecutive win.

Curry registered the 23,747th point of his career in the third quarter to surpass 61-year-old Barkley.

Barkley, a member of the NBA’s Hall of Fame, is a long-term critic of Curry and predicted the Warriors would be “mediocre” this season.

Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers recorded a franchise record nine wins in a row with a 131-122 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Donovan Mitchell top scored for the Cavaliers with 29 points.

The LA Lakers were beaten 131-114 by the Memphis Grizzlies, despite LeBron James scoring a season-high 39 points.

“He played hard,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. “Almost 40 years old and he played the hardest on our team. It says a lot about him.”

The question now is how long Osimhen will stay at Galatasaray and feel that Turkish love.

He has a 130m euro release clause at Napoli, while there are also rumours of a break clause, external in his loan at Galatasaray which would allow him to move on in January.

He continues to be linked with several major European clubs, including Tottenham, Galatasaray’s next opponents in the Europa League on Thursday. For Osimhen, this could be a chance to place himself in the early Christmas shopping window.

According to Bayazit, it is also a question of finances and squad balance for Galatasaray.

“If I was an accountant I would say, ‘don’t do it’,” he says when asked if Galatasaray will aim to keep the striker beyond his loan.

He suggests Napoli “will want 50m euros bare minimum” as a transfer fee. Galatasaray’s record signing is midfielder Gabriel Sara from Norwich last summer for 18m euros.

Bayazit also highlights the issue of TV rights in Turkish football. In the summer a new deal was struck with Bein Media for $182m a season. Before 2019-20, the Super Lig had a $500m yearly deal, but fluctuations in the Turkish lira saw the contract renegotiated, external.

“Galatasaray have Mauro Icardi, so they should spend that money on a different position to centre forward,” adds Bayazit. “One reason it was a really surprising move was that they have great strikers but no star wingers.

“Fans were very critical before Osimhen happened as there was no star winger. They are now happy, but as a puzzle piece fitting in, it doesn’t make sense.”

Unsurprisingly, Garcia Gomez kept his cards close to his chest when asked about Osimhen’s future.

“Hopefully this relationship remains,” he said. “But we must be focused on the present.”

India started the year on a bright note in Tests at home, crushing England 4-1 and winning both the matches against Bangladesh. The recently-concluded series against New Zealand, however, proved to be a shocker, as India were whitewashed 0-3—their first series loss at home since 2013.

Indian batters, especially seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, were brutally exposed on spin-friendly pitches. Up next is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on November 22, in Perth, where the pitch and conditions are going to be vastly different.

With skipper Rohit Sharma likely to miss the first Test in Perth as his wife is expecting their second child, all eyes are on his possible replacement as the opener. Young Yashasvi Jaiswal has been promising at the top, adjusting his game according to the conditions and match situations. But he hasn’t had much support from Sharma at the other end.

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KL Rahul is likely to be drafted into the playing XI to partner Jaiswal at the top, despite an ordinary run in Tests this year, which saw him getting dropped after the first match against the Kiwis in Bengaluru. He scored 0 and 12 in that Test. Rahul has played five Tests this year, at an average of 33.42 and highest score of 86.

He has primarily batted in the middle order in Tests, but may be considered for the opener’s role given Sharma’s unavailability. The other option is to promote Shubman Gill to the top from the middle-order, or bring in Abhimanyu Easwaran. In fact, both Rahul and Easwaran opened in the first innings for India A in the ongoing unofficial Test at Melbourne. While Easwaran was out for a duck, Rahul scored four runs. Interestingly, none of the India A players, except Rahul, had ever played a match at the iconic MCG. India are set to play the Boxing Day Test there from December 26.

In the first unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Mackay, too, Easwaran disappointed, scoring only seven and 12 in the two innings. Rahul did not play that match.

There will be a warm-up match between India and India A at Perth, on November 15, ahead of the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. It will probably be the last chance for both Easwaran and Rahul to stake a claim for the opener’s slot. Rahul’s experience might tilt the scales in his favour, having scored centuries in Australia, England and South Africa. But his overall record as an opener isn’t too promising—Rahul has scored 2,551 runs in 75 innings at an average of 34.94.

Having failed to win a single Test in the series against New Zealand, India need four wins from the five Tests in Australia to qualify for the World Test Championship Final.