At the end of the U.S. GP in Austin, winner Charles Leclerc, runner-up Carlos Sainz, and third-place finisher Max Verstappen all stood on the podium — but something was missing. Three things, in fact. None of the podium finishers of the U.S. Grand Prix were awarded the much-hyped trophies from Pirelli that were shown off in the days before the race. 

Dubbed “Heroo,” built by Pirelli, and designed by Italian artist Matteo Macchiavelli, each of the original trophies had a black body and articulating arms made from carbon fiber, with a chromed head that matched the finishing position: gold (sprinkled with actual gold dust) for first, silver for second, and titanium for third.

After the race, Pirelli confirmed to Motorsport.com that the company — in conjunction with the race promoter, and after informing the FIA — pulled the trophies from usage because it had been made aware of potential similarities with other designs. (The trophies closely resemble sculptures and collectibles created by the brand Bearbrick.)

Sainz and Verstappen lofted miniature tires like the ones given as Saturday’s qualifying awards. Leclerc appeared to be holding a tall metallic tube-shaped trophy. All three had to be flown in by Pirelli from one of the company’s U.S. offices after it pulled the original trophies, the company confirmed to Motorsport.com.

Pirelli introduced the trophies at the start of the week, and showcased them on the grid the day before the race, posing them on the pit wall and giving them their own paddock pass credentials. Pirelli also originally mentioned that collectible “art toys” would be put on sale for the public, which also may have led to potential issues.

Since Sunday’s race ended, Pirelli went so far as to remove the original link on its press site announcing the trophies. 

Everton are ready to make a move for AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze, Manchester United retain hope of signing Alphonso Davies, Dusan Vlahovic could yet end up at Arsenal.

Everton are plotting a move to sign AC Milan’s Nigeria winger Samuel Chukwueze, 25, in the January transfer window. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United are aiming to convince Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies, 23, to choose them over Real Madrid when the Canada international’s contract expires at the end of the season. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Arsenal could land long-term Serbian target Dusan Vlahovic, 24, for a bargain price because the Juventus striker’s talks with his club over a new contract are not progressing well. (Caught Offside), external

Incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel has parted ways with long-time coaching partner Zsolt Low before taking up the Three Lions role. (Sun), external

Aston Villa have entered the race to sign Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo, 25, from Brentford. (TBR Football), external

Manchester United may loan Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee, 23, to Juventus if they sign RB Leipzig’s Slovenian frontman Benjamin Sesko, 21, next summer. (Tuttomercato – in Italian), external

Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham have set their sights on Real Valladolid’s Spanish winger Raul Moro, 21. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Borussia Dortmund’s English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, 20, is drawing interest from Arsenal, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest – though the German club want more than £50m for the player before they will consider selling. (Caught Offside), external

Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli are among the clubs watching Como and Argentina midfielder Nico Paz, 20. (Nicolo Schira on X), external

For each game he broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season all the way through Super Bowl LIX, FOX Sports lead NFL analyst Tom Brady is choosing one standout star as his LFG Player of the Game.

After another all-around team win from the now 6-0 Kansas City Chiefs, Brady chose one of the more overlooked members of the defending Super Bowl champions as his LFG Player of the Game: Chiefs offensive lineman — and Brady’s former New England Patriots teammate — Joe Thuney.

Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Chiefs OL Joe Thuney | Week 7 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

Thuney and his fellow linemen came up huge in Kansas City’s run game on a day when quarterback Patrick Mahomes had one of his worst statistical passing performances of his career. The Chiefs had 184 rushing yards, averaged 4.7 yards per carry and scored all four of their touchdowns on the ground in their 28-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

“As an offensive line, we always take pride in trying to run the ball, especially when the defense knows we’re going to run the ball,” Thuney told Brady. “In those situations, it takes all 11 guys — tight ends blocking, wide receivers blocking, running backs running hard, Pat making great calls — so it’s a total team effort. And [we] just couldn’t be happier.”

The Chiefs remain undefeated despite losing several key offensive weapons around Mahomes and Travis Kelce, including starting running back Isiah Pacheco, No. 1 wide receiver Rashee Rice and — early in Sunday’s game — veteran wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. 

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“It’s really a next-man-up mentality,” Thuney said. “During the week, everyone’s practicing so hard [and] getting the playbook regardless [of whether] they’re starting or not. It’s football, it’s tough. Injuries happen. But it’s just a great team to be a part of. Everyone’s contributing to the win and really proud.”

Still, few quarterbacks in the NFL (especially now that Brady is retired) are as consistently clutch as Mahomes. That confidence in Mahomes — even on a day when he has a 59.3% completion rate, 154 pass yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions — pays dividends. Such as when he has a career-best 33-yard scramble that sets up a crucial fourth-down touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“He’s just making plays left and right,” Thuney said. “Everyone has so much trust and faith in him, and he’s always coming through. And we all just try and do our part to make this offense succeed, and you’re just gonna be more proud.”

Thuney said he considers himself lucky to have played with both Brady and Mahomes — even while sidestepping Brady’s question over which quarterback buys him better Christmas gifts.

“You guys are 10 out of 10,” Thuney said. “Both you guys are unbelievable.”

The inaugural honor went to Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons in Week 1, followed by star New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara in Week 2, Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry in Week 3, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield in Week 4, Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray in Week 5 and Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell in Week 6.

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JAMIE CARRAGHER was ordered not to bring his “CBS chat” live on Sky Sports after covering his beloved Liverpool’s win over Chelsea.

The Reds beat the Blues 2-1 at Anfield thanks to a stunning display by Curtis Jones, who won a penalty that led to Mohamed Salah’s opener and scored the winner after Nicolas Jackson’s equaliser.

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Carragher provided punditry alongside former team-mate Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards, with whom he also covers the Champions League on CBS.

The ex-England international insisted Jones “should have” been awarded another penalty for Liverpool.

Presenter Kelly Cates immediately responded: “You’ve firmed up a bit.”

Richards addressed his fellow CBS analyst: “You were 50-50 at half-time, has someone been in your DM’s?”

The panel then burst into laughter before Carragher quipped: “No it was a penalty, you leave my DMs out of it.”

Cates replied: “Alright, don’t bring your CBS chat on here”

And Sturridge ended the funny segment by saying: “Chill out man, what’s going on.”

Carragher and Richards often find themselves taking a cheeky dig at each other live on the CBS studio alongside fellow legend Thierry Henry and presenter Kate Abdo.

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However, the duo are usually more subtle when working with Sky Sports.

The pair will be returning for the Champions League action this coming Tuesday on CBS.

They will be covering Arsenal clash with Shakhtar Donetsk before Manchester City’s encounter with Sparta Prague and Liverpool’s visit at RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

LAS VEGAS – Cameron Smotherman was in Saudi Arabia to corner a teammate when he got a call that changed his life.

Just a few days ahead of UFC Fight Night 245, Smotherman (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) received a call from his manager asking him about his weight because Jake Hadley’s original opponent, Brady Hiestand, could no longer compete.

Smotherman did everything he could to ensure the opportunity wouldn’t pass him.

“I run to another hotel to check my weight, and then I’m like, “Oh, this sh*ts a little heavy,’” Smotherman said with a laugh during a post-fight news conference. “I’m not about to let this chance go to waste, and so I take a picture, but I grabbed the wall, and I just gave myself a little DC boost and took the picture, sent it.”

Smotherman said he immediately went to start cutting weight. A few minutes later, Smotherman received word he was in to face Hadley (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), and needed to get on a plane immediately. He didn’t know who he would be facing, but he packed his bags and let his teammate know he was leaving.

“They were like, ‘Well, you know you’re not going to get here until Wednesday night?’ Smotherman said. “So, I’m like, ‘I don’t give a f*ck when I get here. I could get here Friday morning, and I’m going to f*cking make the weight.’ I got here Wednesday night and had to cut 20 pounds or some sh*t in a day and a half.”

It was all worth it. Smotherman weighed in at 135.5 pounds for the bantamweight bout against Hadley and fought to an impressive unanimous decision win as a sizable short-notice underdog.

Everything moved so fast that things really didn’t start to hit Smotherman until he was in the middle of a post-fight interview in the octagon. It was then he could barely contain himself that he was now a winning UFC fighter, a dream that seemed bleak after being finished on Dana White’s Contender series last August.

That loss to Charalampos Grigoriou nearly sent Smotherman down a different path, but he stuck fighting, even though it was hard. He won his next three fights on the regional scene, stopping two of those opponents.

Despite winning three in a row, a path to the UFC didn’t seem realistic. So, how did he stay positive after the DWCS loss?

“Easy answer: You don’t stay positive,” Smotherman said. “I was negative as f*ck. I was about to quit every day. We were talking about this a few weeks ago. It was a running joke at the gym, ‘Oh, you know Cameron, he’s always about to quit.’ I’m like, because I am, motherf*cker! I’m not about to just – for me, I like fighting, but I don’t just love the sh*t to where I’m not about to just be fighting to fight.

“I’m fighting because I think I have a future in it, and I feel like I can do something with it. But yeah, it was hard as f*ck. I was depressed for a year and I didn’t even know it. … But I also realized in the back, that the reason I wanted to quit so much is because I was scared of failing.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Bob Pockrass

FOX NASCAR Insider

LAS VEGAS — Joey Logano went from out of the playoffs to having a spot to vie for the NASCAR Cup Series title in three weeks at Phoenix Raceway.

Logano, who thought he was knocked out of the playoffs last week at Charlotte until learning a couple of hours after the race that Alex Bowman failed postrace weight requirements to put Logano into the semifinal round, vaulted himself into the championship race by using a fuel-mileage strategy to capture the victory Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Logano said he and his wife laughed about it in victory lane.

“Do you believe one week ago at this hour… I come walking out of our bedroom, and I said, ‘You’re not going to believe this s—,’” Logano said in recalling the conversation. “Here we are a week later. I told her, ‘You ain’t going to believe this, that we won this one.’”

The Team Penske driver entered the Round of 8 (NASCAR’s version of the semifinal round) with the fewest points, and while at least one driver, will be among the four finalists based on points, winning a race earns a playoff driver an automatic bid. The four drivers who make it to the championship round race (along with everyone else) in the season finale Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway and the top finisher among those four wins the title.

“We had maybe not the best regular season, but when the pay window opens up in the playoffs, the 22 [team] shows up,” said two-time Cup champion Logano, who was 15th in the regular-season standings while the other seven drivers in the Round of 8 were in the top seven.

Christopher Bell thought he would be that driver in victory lane as he led 155 laps and had the dominant car, but Logano ran the final 69-lap green-flag run without stopping for fuel while most of the field opted to pit. Logano was told he would be one lap short and was able to save enough and then pass Daniel Suarez with six laps remaining.

“[My crew chief] told me we’re one lap short,” Logano said. “Saving one lap over the course of that many laps, not that hard to do.”

The opening race of the three-race round (Homestead and Martinsville remain) did not go smoothly for the eight drivers still eligible for the title as Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney were involved in a wreck on Lap 89 while Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson were stymied by problems on pit road.

Takeaways from Las Vegas:

Reddick Flips, Elliott Frustrated

Reddick, who won the opening stage, tried to make a move on the outside to make it three-wide when Chase Elliott (in the middle) and Martin Truex Jr. ended up having contact, turning Reddick, who did a flip in the trioval grass.

Reddick couldn’t continue after a move he wished he would have back but one that he felt he had enough room to make.

“Being aggressive, I feel like you need to be on these mile-and-a-half [tracks], and it bit me today,’ Reddick said. “The 19 [of Truex] wiggled up into the 9 [of Elliott] and we just all ran out of room.

“That’s all there is to it.”

Elliott appeared to have mixed feelings afterward.

“I certainly understand but there was not a lot of room … in the corner,” Elliott said. “At that point in the race, it was a big gamble for him to bank on me recognizing and Martin recognizing that he had a big run up top.

“It was aggressive for sure, but who am I to say, we’re trying to race for a championship.”

Elliott said his car was possibly the best one he had at Vegas in the last few years.

“I was personally just trying to get out of the situation and was a little too late at that point,” Elliott said. “It sucks.”

Reddick’s car landed on all fours and he drove it to pit road, but the car was destroyed when it came to the suspension and the brakes.

“I saw a little bit of grass, a little bit of the sky,” Reddick said about the flip.

Logano capitalizes with some help?

Ryan Blaney was also caught up in the Reddick wreck and was several laps down in following Logano in the final laps.

Bell felt Blaney played some defense for Logano — and was OK with that.

“It’s fair game and props to [Blaney],” Bell said. “The 22 [of Logano] winning was probably bad for the 12 [of Blaney] because they’re racing each other for points to get in.

“Penske won the race and got one car in. They did it right.”

Blaney scoffed at the idea he was helping keep Bell from catching him.

“The 20 [of Bell] didn’t get to me until the last corner,” Blaney said. “I don’t know what the hell you would think I’m blocking him for.

“I’m running the top. I’m not taking anyone’s air away. He should have maybe got to the 22 quicker. He would have been able to pass me pretty easy, but he was half a lap too late.”

Larson, Hamlin pit crew woes

Both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson were the victim of slow pit stops that cost them several positions during the race, with Larson even having to pit a second time and going a lap down in one sequence.

Hamlin finished eighth and Larson finished 11th.

“Just not a clean day,” Hamlin said. “That certainly kind of sums it up. You’ll have that. We’ll just do the best we can to get the best finish.”

Larson had a similar outlook.

“We made the most of it,” Larson said. “[It] could have been a lot worse.”

Larson at least has the consolation that he leaves the race 35 points above the cutoff while Hamlin is 27 points behind.

“We’re not running quite as strong as what we were earlier in the year,” Hamlin said. “We’re definitely not as clean execution-wise as what we were.

“We’ve just got to clean it up, go to Homestead and try to win it.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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