Event of the Day: Formula One Mexico Grand Prix

Sunday 28th October

Our event of the day is the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull secured a surprise pole yesterday with a time of 1:14.759. This was marginally quicker than teammate Max Verstappen, whose time of 1:14.785 wasn’t quite enough to make him the youngest driver in F1 history to claim pole position.

Lewis Hamilton qualified third, with Sebastian Vettel and Valterri Bottas completing the top five. Lewis Hamilton is on the brink of capturing his fifth world title in the same place he won his fourth just one year ago. The Mercedes driver narrowly missed out on claiming motorsport’s greatest prize last week in Austin. Victory could have given Hamilton his second consecutive world title, but the Brit finished third, despite claiming an impressive pole position. It was not a surprise that it was Ferrari who delayed Hamilton’s world title party. What was surprising was that the Ferrari driver came in the shape of Kimi Räikkönen, recording his first win since 2013. Despite last weekend’s disappointment, Hamilton still has an almost unassailable 70-point lead over title rival Sebastian Vettel. With just 75-points left to race for, he can afford to finish down in seventh today and still celebrate his fifth world title. Hamilton somewhat stuttered to the world title in Mexico last year with a ninth-place finish after a first lap collision. He will be desperate to clinch the title in style this time around. And what better way to do that than by taking the chequered flag?

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the final of the PNB Paribas WTA Finals at the Kallang Tennis Centre in Singapore. American Sloane Stephens takes on Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the season ending championship final. Neither were fancied at the beginning of the tournament, but the pair have both had fantastic weeks to set up today’s hotly anticipated final. Further honourable mentions go to the NFL clash between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The two sides last met in the playoffs in January. The Vikings recorded a historic last gasp win on that occasion, with Saints desperate for a change in fortunes this time around. Elsewhere in the States, the MLB World Series between the LA Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox continues at Dodgers Stadium. In New York, the Nets host the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. There’s a top of the table clash at Children’s Mercy Park, as first place Kansas City welcome second spot Los Angeles FC, who know victory will see them leapfrog their hosts at the summit of the MLS. Two of footballs greatest rivals meet at Camp Nou, where Barcelona take on Real Madrid in La Liga. Action on the LPGA Tour comes from the Miramar Golf Country Club in Taipei, whilst the PGA and European Tour can be found in Shanghai where it’s the fourth day of the WGC-HSBC Champions. The third and final T20 international between Pakistan and Australia is on display at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with Pakistan currently leading the series 2-0. The Australian MotoGP comes from the Phillip Island Circuit.