Lewis Hamilton equalled the all-time record for career Formula 1 victories by winning the Eifel Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver's win was the 91st of his career and he will surely break Michael Schumacher's record soon.

Hamilton extended his championship lead over team-mate Valtteri Bottas to 69 points after the Finn retired.

Behind Max Verstappen's Red Bull in second, Daniel Ricciardo scored Renault's first podium since returning to F1 as a constructor in 2016. The race had been poised for a close fight between Hamilton and Bottas before the second Mercedes hit trouble at the Nurburgring in Germany.

Hamilton, second on the grid, made a better start than Bottas and dived for the inside at the first corner, pushing him wide, but Bottas held his ground and recovered the lead on the inside of the second corner. That gave Bottas control of the race, but Hamilton pressured him hard and in the end the leader buckled.

Bottas handed the advantage back to Hamilton on lap 13, locking a wheel into Turn One and running wide, allowing Hamilton to close in and pass for the lead around the outside of Turn Two.

Three laps later, the race fell further into Hamilton's lap when a virtual safety car allowed him and Verstappen to pit for fresh tyres and retain their positions ahead of Bottas, and two laps after that Bottas retired with a suspected failure of the MGU-H, part of the hybrid system.

Although Verstappen stole the point for fastest lap from Hamilton on the last lap of the race,

Hamilton's lead is close to three clear race victories with only six races remaining. A seventh world title - which would equal another Schumacher record - is beckoning. Schumacher's son Mick presented Hamilton with one of his father's old helmets, from his last F1 season with Mercedes in 2012, to recognise the achievement.

"I don't know what to say," Hamilton said. "When you grow up watching someone and you idolise them, really, for the quality of the driver they are and what they are continually able to do as a driver and with his team week on week. Seeing his dominance for so long and I don't think anyone - especially me - thought he would get close to this record.

"It's an incredible honour but I could not have done it without this incredible team. A big thank you and huge respect to Michael."

Ricciardo's podium was made possible by Bottas' retirement, as the top two had almost lapped the field before a late safety car was called to recover Lando Norris' McLaren, which had stopped with an engine failure. But the Australian's result was well deserved. Renault have been making steady progress and Ricciardo, who has been outstanding this season, held off Racing Point's Sergio Perez in a battle over the closing laps.

A bet with team principal Cyril Abiteboul means the Frenchman has to have a tattoo in a design of Ricciardo's choosing. Abiteboul can choose size and placement. Ricciardo said he did not know what the design would be, but probably "something with a German flavour".

Norris had been fighting with Perez for fourth on divergent strategies for a while, but the early development of his ultimately terminal engine problem cost him time and he was running fifth before he stopped. Norris' McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz took fifth instead, ahead of Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly, who was able to pass Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for sixth place as a result of Ferrari's decision not to stop for fresh tyres at the late safety car.

Nico Hulkenberg took an impressive eighth for Racing Point after starting last, following his late substitution for the ill Lance Stroll on Saturday morning. And there were the first points of the season for Haas' Romain Grosjean and Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi in ninth and 10th places.

Six races to go and they start with a new track for F1, Portimao on Portugal's Algarve on 25 October. It is a well-regarded track and the drivers are all looking forward to the challenge. And the weather should be a good deal warmer than the wintry conditions at the Nurburgring this weekend.

Kenya’s four-time winner and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge says this year’s unique edition of the London Marathon “can bring hope to the world”.

The race will be run over 19 laps of a closed course, screened from public view, as part of Covid-19 measures. The mass participation element of the race will be run ‘virtually’ with only the elite fields gathering in London.

He said: “We can bring hope to the world that we can train behind the scenes and come back in a strong way.”

Asked about his chances of retaining his title, Kipchoge replied: “Kipchoge admitted that the absence of a crowd, which usually numbers tens of thousands, would make a “huge, huge difference” to the event.

The 35-year-old will be taking on Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who was just two seconds off his rival’s world record in Berlin last year, in a keenly anticipated duel. The pair have been backed by event director Hugh Brasher to bring the best out of each other despite the forecast wet weather.

“Whatever the conditions, we believe there will be some incredible racing that will live long in people’s memories,” said Brasher. “It could be incredibly quick.”

Four-time Olympic champion, Sir Mo Farah, will be one the pacemakers in the race, although focused on helping a mainly British group achieve the Olympic qualifying time of two hours 11 minutes 30 seconds.

Kipchoge’s world record stands at 2:01:39. His landmark sub-two hour marathon in Austria last year is not classified as a record because of the nature of the pace-making help and other assistance he received in the time-trial event.

The British Basketball League (BBL) has confirmed they are able to get their 2020-21 season underway following assurances from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that appropriate support will be made available to those spectator sports affected by the Government's announcement that fans would not be allowed back into sports venues from 1 October.

BBL and DCMS have been in urgent dialogue since the announcement by the Prime Minister that the planned return of fans to sports venues on 1 October would not be happening. The BBL season had been due to start on 2^nd October with the announcement making a significant impact on the financial viability of the clubs who rely on ticket income throughout the season. 

Full details of the support expected from the Government is to be confirmed but the assurance has meant that plans for the 2020-21 can now resume, with games now scheduled to start on Friday 30 October.

Sir Rodney Walker said, “We extend our thanks to Oliver Dowden, Nigel Huddleston, and DCMS for their swift response in the wake of the decision to not allow fans back into sports venues. This support comes in recognition of the immense work our clubs have done in preparation for the 2020-21 season, not only for competition but also in terms of the extensive work they do in their communities.”

Dakota Schuetz, the 24-year-old American scooter champion known globally as ‘Kota’, has joined the Electric Skootr Championship (eSC) as the series' very first ambassador and development rider.

Kota is regarded internationally as one of the freestyle scooter scene’s most successful riders and innovators. He was the International Scooter Association’s first-ever world champion in 2012 and dominated the scooter scene for seven years – winning a further three world titles and over 60 professional competitions.

As a central figure within the international freestyle community, Kota has built a young and dynamic global audience and developed lasting relationships with some of the scooter world’s most influential figures.

In his official capacity as eSC’s first-announced Rider Ambassador, he will help to converge a diverse community of riders, micromobility advocates and sports fans – building a unique audience for the new eSC series.

His international profile will also play a role in attracting and building up a squad of multi-talented riders to eSC ahead of the series’ roll-out in 2021.

Kota joins eSC’s Sustainability Ambassador, 2014 Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi, and Safety Ambassador Alex Wurz, a two-time Le Mans winner. Kota is the first rider to be announced as a member of a small team working within eSC to develop and refine its prototype electric race eSkootr, ahead of its competitive debut next year.

The eSkootr, which is being developed in partnership with British engineering firm Williams Advanced Engineering, has already undergone its first real-world tests – with Kota providing detailed feedback on fit, feel, ergonomics, handling and power delivery.

The eSkootr begins a more extensive test programme this month, with Kota being joined by a series of additional riders from different sporting backgrounds in order to grow the engineering footprint of the project.

Dakota Schuetz, eSkootr Championship Rider Ambassador said: “Riding scooters is a big part of my life. Over the past 15 years, I’ve helped to develop and shape the freestyle scooter community, its competitions and its riders. I’m very proud about where it’s come from, where it’s going and the potential for the future.

Now, I’m just as excited to embark on this new project, working with the Electric Skootr Championship to grow the world’s first-ever micromobility sport. With eSC, I see all the signs that were present in the freestyle community all those years ago; with eSC’s team and its mission, I feel confident that the journey ahead will be amazing. I’m really looking forward to help to develop and mould a new sport, and to help build a community of riders all over the world.

After testing the first eSkootr, I’m already hugely encouraged by our progress. Everything feels right about the prototype and I believe we’ve already taken a huge step forward in terms of eScooter tech. I can’t wait to share what’s coming next.”

eSkootr Championship CEO and co-founder Hrag Sarkissian, said:“You can’t talk about the freestyle scooter world without mentioning the name Kota, so we’re absolutely thrilled to have him join us at the beginning of the eSkootr Championship.

As a figurehead for the sport, he will undoubtedly play a central role in attracting new riders and fans to us. And his appointment marks the next stage in our ambition to form strong relationships with outstanding partners as we continue to develop and grow the eSC.”

Khalil Beschir, eSkootr Championship COO and co-founder, added: “At our first track test, Kota’s skill and experience proved hugely beneficial in providing our engineers with additional insight and direction into the development of our prototype eSkootr chassis.

Even at this early stage, we’ve been massively impressed by his analysis and feedback, and we’re extremely pleased at how he’s already playing a significant role in shaping our development programme. He’s a fantastic addition to the eSC team.”

Launched in July 2020, the Electric Scooter Championship is the world’s first micromobility motorsport series.

Using high-performance race eScooters, designed and built in partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering, eSC has been designed to champion progressive micromobility policies and as an advocacy platform promoting smarter, cleaner and safer mobility in our cities.

The series is developing an international sporting calendar and infrastructure that will encourage diversity and inclusivity from a new generation of motorsport competitors worldwide.

Formula E champion Lucas Di Grassi and ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz are founding stakeholders in the organisation.

The 2020 London Marathon will involve only elite athletes, with 45,000 'mass-event' runners unable to take part because of coronavirus concerns.

The much-anticipated contest between Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele was due to take place on a bio-secure closed course.

Reduced fields of 30-40 athletes will also compete for the elite women's and wheelchair titles.

The 2021 race, meanwhile, will be on October 3 rather than a date in April.

That calendar shift from the traditional date is designed to maximise the chances of all runners being able to take part in next year's race.

A plan to include the mass-participation event in the 2020 race, deploying high-tech tracking technology to monitor runners' proximity to each other, had been considered.

However, event director Hugh Brasher said that plan had been made impossible by the logistical challenges of managing spectators and emergency service access across London, especially given the recent cancellation of spectator trials at other sporting events.

Instead, it will only be the elite athletes that tackle a spectator-free course - following a different route to the usual one used for the London Marathon.

That route will consist of laps of roughly 1.5 miles, taking in The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk and the spur road running adjacent to front of Buckingham Palace.

The showdown between four-time winner Kipchoge and Bekele, whose personal best is two seconds slower than Kipchoge's world record of two hours one minute 39 seconds, has now been put on the back burner after the Ethiopian had to pull out through injury.

British Paralympic great David Weir will be aiming for a record ninth win in the wheelchair race.

Kenya's defending champion Brigid Kosgei, who beat Briton Paula Radcliffe's long-standing world record in Chicago in October, will headline the women's field, with course record holder Manuela Schar attempting to follow up her 2019 win in the women's wheelchair race.

Athletes' times in the race will be eligible for Olympic qualification for the postponed Tokyo Games in 2021.

While this year's Tokyo marathon took place in a similar form in March, with only elite runners taking part and spectators restricted in number, other major marathons have been cancelled.

The Berlin and New York races, which were scheduled to be held on September 27 and November 1 respectively, are among those that will not take place in 2020.

Runners with a place in the 2020 race, but not in the elite fields, will be able to compete virtually from any location around the world.

They are invited to run or walk 26.2 miles, taking breaks if required, over the course of 24 hours, logging their progress on the event app.

Last year, the London Marathon raised £66.4m for charities and good causes.

Brasher said: "We believe that tomorrow will see a London Marathon like no other, taking the spirit of the world's greatest marathon to every corner of the globe, with runners raising vital funds for the charities that have been so severely affected by the economic effects of the pandemic."

Lewis Hamilton has vowed to increase the number of Black people in motor racing, naming a group to analyse the causes of a lack of diversity. The six-time Formula 1 world champion said members of his Hamilton Commission "together will make a change" and he will lead the group alongside Dr Hayaatun Sillem, the chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The 14 members include former sports minister Tracey Crouch and ex-McLaren Formula 1 boss Martin Whitmarsh.

Mercedes driver Hamilton, 35, has set the commission the target of identifying the "key barriers to the recruitment and progression of Black people in UK motorsport" and providing "actionable recommendations to overcome them".

A statement said the composition of the commission had been chosen to "represent a wide range of expertise spanning critical areas of influence, including motorsport, engineering, schools, colleges and universities, community/youth groups, as well as major UK political parties". Other members include Professor Alice Gast, the president of Imperial College London and Chi Onwurah, the Labour MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and shadow minister for digital, science and technology.

Hamilton is F1's first and only Black driver. The sport's only other non-white competitor is Red Bull's Alexander Albon, a Britain-born Thai. Hamilton said: "What is more concerning is that there are still very few people of colour across the sport as a whole.

"In F1, our teams are much bigger than the athletes that front them, but representation is insufficient across every skill set - from the garage to the engineers in the factories and design departments. Change isn't coming quickly enough and we need to know why.

"This is why I wanted to set up the commission and I'm proud to be working with the Royal Academy of Engineering and our incredible board of commissioners to identify the barriers facing young Black people to take up STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) careers in motorsport.

"We are dedicated to this cause and, together, we will make a change."

Sillem said: "This is a truly unique opportunity to drive transformational change on this crucial issue and, in the process, to learn more about how we can enrich diversity in other parts of engineering and society." Gast said the commission would "not only strengthen Formula 1 and motorsport, but will help bring needed talent into engineering".

"Inclusion and excellence go hand in hand. Lewis is a role model for future stars of engineering and innovation as much as he is a sporting icon and I'm very pleased to be working with him," she added.

Hamilton has been at the forefront of F1's attempts this year to promote an anti-racist and pro-diversity agenda, which includes demonstrations before every grand prix. His Mercedes team have painted their cars black for this season, instead of their trademark silver, as a signal of their commitment to greater diversity and inclusion. Hamilton called the move "an important statement we are willing to change and improve as a business".

The team admitted that "just 3% of our workforce identify as belonging to minority ethnic groups and only 12% of our employees are women".

Mercedes have pledged to increase those numbers and Hamilton has called on all other teams to match that commitment.

F1 as a sport has launched an equality and diversity taskforce to increase opportunity for minority groups and has pledged to work with the Hamilton Commission. Hamilton will publish the findings and recommendations of his commission and take it "directly to key stakeholders who can help implement change".

A statement added: "Commissioners will also support this effort by applying their personal influence to champion the insights and recommendations from the project."