Sports, in brief

Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday at Sepang in Malaysia, where the race was moved because of the war in the Middle East. [3][5]

It was his first win of 2026 and Red Bull's first as a maker of its own engines. [6]

Before the start, rain fell and at least half a dozen cars crawled to walking pace on the formation laps, the slow laps behind a safety car. [6] Cars with Mercedes and Honda engines were not affected. [4]

Lewis Hamilton had to stop his Ferrari on the track and restart it, which he said he had never done before. [2]

The fault was in engine settings for wet weather that the FIA, the sport's governing body, makes every team use. [3][2]

In the wet, that software cuts battery power to 250kW from 350kW in parts of the track. [4][7]

At very low speed the power then failed to come back, so the petrol engine had no help to pick the car up again. [7][4]

The limit exists to stop teams using battery power as traction control, an aid that stops wheels spinning at a start. [7][8]

The FIA wrote a fix in about 20 minutes and sent it to every team to install, while everyone waited. [4][7]

The rulebook did not cover a grid jumbled by a software fault, so the FIA restarted the race in the original order. [3][2]

The FIA's Nikolas Tombazis said the software had not been tested enough in the wet, because there had been so little wet running this year. [1][7]

The engines take almost half their power from a battery, a formula partly meant to attract new carmakers such as Audi and General Motors. [7][1]

The rules will move towards a 60-40 split in favour of petrol power by 2028, and nothing changes this season. [7][1]

Ferrari started Lewis Hamilton on dry-weather tyres while the track was still wet, and he fell as far back as 18th. [9][10]

Hamilton then fought back to finish third, in what the BBC rated one of his best drives of the season. [10]

George Russell's engine failed five laps from the end, leaving his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli 84 points clear. [3][5]

Why it matters. Watch the FIA's review with the teams and engine makers before Singapore on 11 October, and whether the drivers' anger pushes the 2027 changes further than a 60-40 split. [4][3][7]

Elfyn Evans of Wales won the World Rally Championship on Sunday in Sardinia, Italy, driving for Toyota. [17] His teammate Oliver Solberg, 25, was on course to take the title on the final stage but crashed two corners from the finish. [18] Solberg still won the rally but lost the bonus points for that stage, and finished five points behind. [17][18] Evans, 37, had finished second five times in six years. [17] He is Britain's first champion since Richard Burns in 2001. [18]

Why it matters. The season was cut to 13 rounds when the Saudi Arabia round was cancelled because of conflict in the region, so Sardinia decided it. [18][17] It was also the last title before new rules come in next year. [17]

Line judge Jeff Seeman appeared on camera to shout an expletive at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride on Sunday, after McBride asked for a pass interference call. [11][12] The NFL, American football's top league, said it is looking into it. [14] A CBS reporter standing next to McBride said he had begun his plea with please. [15] JC Tretter, head of the players' union, said players are held accountable when the roles are reversed, and officials should be too. [13]

Why it matters. The same afternoon New England's coach, Mike Vrabel, was penalised 15 yards for swearing at a referee, which set up a Buffalo touchdown. [11] The review will show whether the rule on bad language reaches officials as well as players and coaches. [13]

Through the first 14 games of Week 4, NFL officials threw about 17 flags a game, the most in the league's history, according to a fan count cited by Sports Illustrated. [11] There were 238 accepted penalties that weekend before the two night games, and 12 teams were penalised ten or more times. [11] One game, Jacksonville against Cincinnati, had 24 flags, and the Jaguars' coach called it mental. [11] Fines for unsportsmanlike conduct fell the other way: only five players were fined for it in Week 3. [16]

Why it matters. The rise came on the same weekend that two officials' own behaviour was put under NFL review. [11]

Sydney Roosters beat Newcastle Knights 19-18 in the NRL grand final, the title match of Australian rugby league, on Sunday in front of 80,814 people. [19][21] Newcastle led 12-0 and were trying to become the first club since 1934 to win the title a year after finishing bottom. [21][20] Daly Cherry-Evans kicked the one-point field goal that decided it. [19] Mark Nawaqanitawase scored two tries in his last game before moving to rugby union in Japan. [21]

Why it matters. It is the Roosters' first title since 2019, and their women's team won its final 30-6 to finish a season of 13 wins from 13. [21][19] On Saturday a car drove into fans cheering the Knights' bus out of Newcastle, injuring 10 people, several of them children. [19]

Australia's coach Kevin Walters named his 23-man squad for the Rugby League World Cup on Monday, a day after the grand final. [22] Isaah Yeo will delay surgery on a torn chest muscle to captain the side. [22] Roosters halfback Sam Walker is one of six players picked for the first time. [22] The women's coach, Jess Skinner, left out Ali Brigginshaw, 36, ending her hope of a fourth World Cup. [22]

Why it matters. Australia's men open against New Zealand on 16 October. [22] Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga escaped with a $1,000 fine for a high tackle in the final, so he is free to play for New Zealand. [22]

The Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 with Israel on Sunday in football's Nations League, in a game played with no fans in Backa Topola, Serbia. [24] Ireland's players had faced calls to refuse both games over the war in Gaza. [23] They again wore black armbands and bowed their heads during Israel's anthem, and Israel's players wore armbands for those killed on 7 October 2023. [25] At half-time an Irish staff member alleged that an Israel player spat at him. [23][24] Israel's coach said he saw nothing. [23]

Why it matters. Ireland's coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, asked UEFA, which runs European football, to keep the two teams apart in future draws. [24] He said that decision is UEFA's, not his. [24]

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has banned outfielder Andy Pages from challenging umpires' calls for the rest of the playoffs. [26] This is the first season baseball's major leagues let players challenge a ball or strike call, which an automated system then rules on. [27][29] Each team starts a game with two challenges and loses one every time it is wrong. [27] Pages was right 3 times in 14 this season, then wasted one on a clear strike against Atlanta on Saturday. [26]

Why it matters. In October a lost challenge can cost a series, so some teams leave them to catchers, who were right 58.6% of the time. [27][28] The eight teams left ranked between 10th and 29th of 30 at using them. [28]

Jackson Chourio hit a two-run single with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth inning, giving the Milwaukee Brewers a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. [30][32] The Brewers lead the best-of-five series 2-0. [32] Padres closer Mason Miller was asked to get six outs, which he had done only twice all season. [31] He walked three batters in the ninth, and the final pitch was his 40th; his previous high this season was 34. [31]

Why it matters. Since 1995, the team that won the first game of these series has gone on to win 73% of them. [32] The Padres led from the first inning until the last batter. [31]

The Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Sunday to level their series at one game each. [32] They did it with relief pitchers for a third game running. [34][33] Their ace, Chris Sale, 37, had pitched in relief on Thursday, and manager Walt Weiss said he wanted him at full strength rather than on two days' rest. [34][33] Ray Kerr, who pitched only nine times in the regular season, threw the first 2 2/3 innings without allowing a run. [33]

Why it matters. The Braves began the playoffs with many of their starting pitchers injured, so their relievers are carrying the team. [34] The Dodgers have won the last two World Series. [32]

Daryz won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Sunday, the richest flat race in Europe, for the second year running. [36] He is the first colt to win it twice since Alleged in 1978. [35][36] Jockey Mickael Barzalona came from behind to win by more than a length. [36] Keeping a winner racing at four was a gamble, because most top colts retire at three to earn breeding fees. [36]

Why it matters. The win paid owners Aga Khan Studs more than 2.5m pounds. [36] Princess Zahra Aga Khan said every race now risks the horse, and Daryz is likely to go to stud rather than try for a third Arc. [35]

Adrian Meronk of Poland won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews in Scotland on Sunday by two shots. [37] Meronk plays for LIV Golf, which is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a court-supervised rescue. [37] He was one of eight LIV players who took a deal this year to keep their European tour membership. [37] Michael Stewart, ranked 979th in the world, tied for fourth and won nearly 100 times the 2,500 pounds he earned four days earlier. [38]

Why it matters. The win gives Meronk a full European tour card for 2027, somewhere to play while LIV's future is in doubt. [37] Stewart must now choose between the Spanish Open and a small Scottish tour's final event, which could earn him a place on the second-tier Challenge Tour. [38]

Wu Yize, 22, beat Yuan Sijun 10-5 in an all-Chinese final at snooker's Shenzhen Open on Sunday. [39] It is his first ranking title since he became world champion at the Crucible in Sheffield in May. [39] The win lifts him to second in the world rankings, behind Zhao Xintong. [39] It is the first time Chinese players hold the top two places. [39]

Why it matters. Wu took the 177,000-pound top prize, and Yuan, in his first ranking final, rose seven places to 26th. [39]

Luke Humphries beat Gerwyn Price 6-4 in darts' World Grand Prix final in Leicester on Sunday after trailing 3-0. [40] It was his first major title in 16 months, a spell in which he lost several major finals. [40] The event is unusual because every leg must start and finish on a double. [40] Price has now lost five major finals in a row. [40]

Why it matters. Humphries was world number one two years ago before Luke Littler overtook him. [40] The win keeps him at number two, ahead of Gian van Veen. [40]

Novak Djokovic, 39, beat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-4 6-4 at the China Open in Beijing on Sunday. [41][42] He has now won 32 matches in a row at the tournament. [41] The umpire replayed a point Djokovic had won after Zverev complained about flickering screens, and the crowd booed. [42] Djokovic plays Daniil Medvedev in Monday's semi-final. [41]

Why it matters. Djokovic has had a hard year with form and fitness and has not won a title in 2026. [41] The defeat hurts Zverev's hopes of ending the year as world number one. [41]

Aryna Sabalenka, the world number two, lost 6-4 6-3 to Nikola Bartunkova, a 20-year-old ranked 34th, at the China Open on Sunday. [43] A day earlier the top seed, Elena Rybakina, lost to Alina Charaeva, ranked 118th. [43] It is the first time since 2015 that neither top seed reached the last 16 in Beijing. [43] Rybakina then pulled out of the Wuhan Open with a foot injury. [43][42]

Why it matters. Sabalenka has not won a title since March and will end the year without a Grand Slam for the first time since 2022. [43]

The Golden State Valkyries beat the champions, the Las Vegas Aces, 71-60 on Sunday in the first game of their semi-final in the WNBA, the top US women's basketball league. [44] The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 92-82, with Jordin Canada scoring 25 points. [44] Atlanta's Allisha Gray hurt a hand and played only 11 minutes, and Las Vegas's Jewell Loyd hurt a leg.

Why it matters. The teams have two days off before the second games on Wednesday, and neither has said how long Gray or Loyd will be out. [44]

Amber Cox, general manager of the Indiana Fever, said on Saturday that attacks on the club's fans have no basis in reality. [45] She said no fan pointed out by a player broke the WNBA's code of conduct this season, and none was removed. [45] Brianna Turner, a former Fever player now with the Aces, called that unequivocally false. [45] Kelsey Mitchell, who averaged 24.7 points, said playing beside Caitlin Clark brings her teammates abuse. [45][46]

Why it matters. A fan who pointed at A'ja Wilson in a playoff game was taken out and then allowed back, because the Fever ruled he had not broken the code. [46][45] Mitchell is a free agent and said she will put her career first. [45]

The Indianapolis Colts beat the Washington Commanders 30-13 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. [47] The crowd reached 60,907 only after the NFL cut ticket prices twice, in August and last week. [47] Since 2019 the cheapest London ticket has risen 43.9% and the dearest 96.5%, against UK inflation of about 32.4%. [47] The league also scrapped season tickets for its London games after 2024. [47]

Why it matters. The NFL is playing a record nine regular-season games abroad, and long-time London fans say they are being priced out in favour of newer fans who spend more. [47] The Eagles' game next week sold out in hours. [47]

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27 on Sunday to stay unbeaten at 4-0. [50] They lost two receivers: Rashee Rice strained a hamstring and Tyquan Thornton dislocated his ankle on a 55-yard catch that set up the winning touchdown. [48][50] The Chiefs have contacted the agent of Tyreek Hill, 32, who starred for them from 2016 to 2021, The Athletic reported. [48]

Why it matters. Hill tore several knee ligaments last season and is aiming to return in November. [48] Doctors put Thornton's ankle back in place, and he is out indefinitely. [48][49]

Four weeks in, the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers have not won a game. [51][52] Houston lost 34-30 to Dallas, whose receiver CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes, one short of the club record. [51] The Chargers lost 30-23 to Seattle, the Super Bowl champions. [50][52] Only one team that started 0-4 has ever reached the playoffs, the 1992 Chargers. [52] New England beat Buffalo 29-26, the Bills' first loss in their new stadium. [50]

Why it matters. Both teams reached the playoffs last season, and both now face long odds of getting back. [51][52]

Green Bay fear linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, 24, tore an Achilles tendon in their win over Tampa Bay, and his coach expects it to end his season. [53] Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP, hurt his ankle in a sack before half-time and did not return. [54] The Ravens call him day-to-day. [54] Washington lost backup quarterback Marcus Mariota to a knee injury in London, and hope starter Jayden Daniels returns from a dislocated elbow next week. [55]

Why it matters. Washington had to play its third-choice quarterback, a seventh-round rookie, for most of the London game. [55][51]

Arizona State University has asked Scott Bales, a former chief justice of Arizona's Supreme Court, to lead an independent review of a hockey workout on 20 August. [57][56] Player Matthew Mayich, 21, collapsed during the outdoor military-style session and is on life support. [56] His family's lawyer says he suffered heat stroke and is unlikely to recover. [58] Until now the university's own police had led the review. [56]

Why it matters. The university moved after both of Arizona's US senators, seven players and the family called for an outside inquiry. [57] Bales will also recommend rules for outdoor training. [58]

Braylin Presley has rejoined Oklahoma State's American football team after a court gave him a fifth year of eligibility. [59] He and seven other athletes won a temporary order from an Oklahoma county judge in September against a new rule from the NCAA, which runs US college sport, that limits eligibility by age. [59] Presley played four seasons, one at Oklahoma State from 2022 and three at Tulsa. [59]

Why it matters. He is eligible only for now, because the case has not been decided. [59]

A Texas Tech fan said on a message board that he found Colorado's 25-page game plan at the bar of the team hotel on Friday. [60] Images posted on Saturday appeared to match Colorado's opening plays: the first six of the first half and two of the second. [60] Colorado told CBS Sports it had no comment. [60] Coaches sometimes leave fake plans as decoys. [60]

Why it matters. Colorado's attack has been struggling, and an opponent who knows the first plays can set up to stop them. [60]

Alabama beat Mississippi State 56-23 and rose from seventh to sixth in the AP poll, the weekly ranking of US college football teams. [61] Florida fell from eighth to 16th after losing 45-17 to Missouri, who rose 11 places to 14th. [61] Pittsburgh entered the top 25 after starting the season 5-0. [61] Texas stayed first, with 61 of 70 first-place votes. [61]

Why it matters. Alabama host second-ranked Georgia on Saturday. [61] Pitt's win over Virginia Tech ended on a missed kick, and the NCAA and the ACC would not say whether it could have been reviewed. [16]

Manchester City beat Arsenal 4-2 in the Women's Super League on Sunday, coming from behind twice to keep a 100% start. [62] Arsenal are 10 points behind after five games and 10th in the table. [63] It is their second-worst start to a WSL season. [63] Their coach, Renee Slegers, who signed until 2029 in January, said there will be a big review over the international break. [62][63]

Why it matters. Club sources told the BBC she keeps their full backing. [63] Arsenal won the Women's Champions League under her in 2025 but have not won the WSL since 2019. [63]