Christian Horner will remain in his post as Red Bull team principal.

Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner was under investigation following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.

Horner emphatically denied the claim and the 50-year-old, who arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s opening race of the Formula One season, will stay on as team principal of the British team.

A statement from Red Bull GmbH read: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.

“The complainant has a right of appeal.

“Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.

“The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”

Andy Murray confirmed he is set to retire this summer after losing to Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Murray produced his best win for several months in the first round by seeing off Denis Shapovalov but fell to a 6-2 6-4 loss against 18th-ranked Frenchman Humbert.

Speaking to reporters post-match, the 36-year-old said of his future: “I’m likely not going to play past this summer.

“I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest.

“I’m not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop. But, yes, I don’t plan on playing much past this summer.”

Murray has not won more than a single match at any tournament since August and, after beating Shapovalov, the Scot talked about trying to do his best “these last few months”.

Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to bow out, and he told Radio 4’s Today programme: “When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament.”

While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer.

Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”

If the Scot does not qualifying by ranking – he has slipped down the standings to 67 – he could seek a spot in the draw as a previous champion.

Murray dropped serve twice in succession in the opening set against Humbert and was unable to apply any real pressure on his opponent’s delivery, winning just seven return points during the contest.

The second set was a little closer, but Murray cut a thoroughly frustrated figure, ranting at himself and smacking the umpire’s chair with his racket, as he attempted to trade with the clean-hitting Frenchman, who clinched victory after only an hour-and-a-half.

Anglers Crag has the Scottish Grand National on his agenda after a tough success in the Eider Chase at Newcastle.

The nine-year-old seems to find life at Brian Ellison’s yard to his liking, winning all four starts since joining the stable ahead of the current season.

After handicap chase victories at Carlisle, Market Rasen and Musselburgh, the latter an 11-length rout, the gelding lined up at odds of 11-2 under Henry Brook at Newcastle.

On heavy ground and when stepping up to four miles and half a furlong, Anglers Crag demonstrated abundant stamina to prevail by a neck for owner-breeder Derrick Mossop, who also bred the dam.

The handicapper has responded by giving the horse a 8lb rise in the ratings, leaving him on a career high mark of 134 and putting him in the frame for valuable staying handicaps.

The Scottish Grand National is now to be his target, run over four miles at Ayr on April 20.

“He’s hard as nails, he’s come out of the race really well,” said Ellison.

“He’s done really well, he’s surprised us a bit with how much he’s improved. We’re over the moon with him really.

“He just seems to like the way we train him. The lad that rides him, Andy Robertson, has made a massive difference to him.

“He gets on really well with him, he takes him out on his own a lot and he’s really settled now.

“He’ll go for the Scottish National, it just seems the obvious place to go now and the handicapper hasn’t missed him either – he’s put him up 8lb.

“The owner is a great bloke and it’s really good when you breed one and they do well, hopefully there’s more to come.”

Spirit Dancer is firmly on course for a Dubai World Cup night outing after providing Sir Alex Ferguson with further international success in Saudi Arabia.

The Richard Fahey-trained seven-year-old gave the former Manchester United manager – along with co-owners Ged Mason and Peter Done – a day to remember when scoring in the Bahrain International Trophy in November and hit the target once again in the Middle East in the Neom Turf Cup.

Having scooped a first-prize of just shy of £1million when downing the likes of Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg in Riyadh, the son of Frankel will now return to Dubai, where he has spent the majority of the winter and will be prepared for Meydan action on March 30.

“It has been a great winter with him and he’s progressing well,” said Fahey.

“He’s taken to us to another level of enjoyment there and the whole thing has been great. It’s very exciting.

“We flew him into Dubai for his last run (in the Jebel Hatta) and left him there and now he has flown back to Dubai. We will see how he is, but he looks well and is summering well in Dubai. He’s in great form and enjoying life at the moment competing at the very highest level.

“Definitely, all being well, you will see him on World Cup night.”

Spirit Dancer’s latest victory came over an extended 10 furlongs and Fahey now has to decide whether Spirit Dancer stretches out to a mile and a half for the first time to take part in the Dubai Sheema Classic or drops back to nine furlongs for the Dubai Turf.

Fahey added: “I haven’t decided which race yet and it will be either be the nine-furlong race or the mile and a half. I’ll see how he is training and I have to make a decision soon because he has an invite, but I haven’t 100 per cent made a decision yet.

“It’s always been in my mind to give him a go (at a mile and a half).

“I’ll have to have look and see what runs in each race there and I’m afraid there is no easy race, but when they are $5m and $6m races, that’s what you expect in Dubai.”

Lewis Hamilton has called the imminent verdict on Christian Horner’s Formula One future an “important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values”.

Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner is being investigated following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague. Horner denies the claim.

The embattled Red Bull team principal is due to arrive in Bahrain for the first race of the season on Wednesday.

A verdict on whether he remains as Red Bull team principal is expected to follow.

“We always have to do more to try to make the sport and the environment for people to work in feel safe and inclusive,” said Hamilton as he addressed the controversy for the first time ahead of Saturday’s curtain raiser in the Gulf kingdom.

“Any allegations have to be taken very seriously.

“We don’t know everything that has gone on but it needs to be resolved because it is hanging over the sport.

“It will be interesting to see how it is dealt with, and the effect that it may or may not have on the sport moving forward.

“It is a really important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values.”

Pep Guardiola hailed as “unbelievable” Erling Haaland’s goal haul after Manchester City’s top scorer hit five in the FA Cup holders’ fifth-round thrashing of Luton.

The 23-year-old took his tally for the season in all competitions to 27 as he combined with the excellent Kevin De Bruyne to deliver a goalscoring masterclass in the 6-2 victory at Kenilworth Road.

It came less than four weeks after his return to the side following nearly two months out with a foot injury, and took his total since joining City in the summer of 2022 to 79 in 83 appearances.

After looking noticeably out of sorts in recent games, particularly during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium when he missed a host of chances, it marked a devastating return to form for a player that scored a record 36 times in the Premier League last season.

“How many chances did he have against Chelsea?” said Guardiola. “A lot. He maybe had less against Bournemouth (a 1-0 away win), one or two. But it’s his talent. We know always he is there, he always has the chances.

“Always we work as a team, providing the chances. Sometimes you score goals, sometimes not. Quite often he scores. But it’s not a big issue because he’s a special talent.

“The number he has at his age in all competitions, honestly it’s unbelievable. At the end, we know it. He’s our top goalscorer, happy that he’s got the confidence, because the guys who are the top scorers need goals, and he did it (against Luton).”

Haaland hit a first-half hat-trick against Luton to ease his team into the quarter-finals, with each of his goals set up by De Bruyne who himself returned from a lengthy injury lay-off only in January.

The pair combined for Haaland’s fourth in the second half after Rob Edwards’ side had briefly threatened a fightback via two goals from Jordan Clark.

Bernardo Silva set up the Norwegian’s fifth, before a fine finish from Mateo Kovacic made it six as the champions put on an irresistible showing ahead of Sunday’s Manchester Derby at the Etihad.

“The United game will be completely different,” said Guardiola. “They defend differently. They have experienced players.

“We’ll have two days off, so people don’t see each other. Have to refresh out minds and our legs and have two days to prepare our game.”

Andy Murray’s search for back-to-back wins goes on after he was comfortably beaten by Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Murray produced his best win for several months in the first round by seeing off Denis Shapovalov but fell to a 6-2 6-4 loss against 18th-ranked Frenchman Humbert.

Murray dropped serve twice in succession in the opening set and was unable to apply any real pressure on Humbert’s delivery, winning just seven return points during the contest.

The second set was a little closer, but Murray cut a thoroughly frustrated figure as he attempted to trade with the clean-hitting Frenchman, who clinched victory after only an hour-and-a-half.

Murray has not won more than a single match at any tournament since August and speculation continues around when he will depart the court for good.

After beating Shapovalov, the Scot talked about trying to do his best “these last few months”, but he has now hinted he would like to keep going until at least this summer’s Olympics.

Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to bow out, and he told Radio 4’s Today programme he is likely to make that information public at some point.

“When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament,” he said. “Whether I say anything months ahead of the time, I don’t know.”

While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer.

Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”

If the Scot does not qualifying by ranking – he has slipped down the standings to 67 – he could seek a spot in the draw as a previous champion.

Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea will take charge of the Republic of Ireland’s March friendlies before the planned appointment of a permanent manager in early April.

O’Shea, who is third all-time on the Republic’s list of appearances with 118 caps, has been named interim head coach ahead of Belgium and Switzerland visiting Dublin late next month.

His appointment on a temporary basis gives the FAI more time to complete its search for a permanent successor to Stephen Kenny, who left the role in November.

O’Shea, who had a spell as an assistant coach for the Republic under Kenny and has most recently been working in a similar role at Birmingham, will be helped by Crystal Palace coach Paddy McCarthy.

“I’m delighted to return to the senior men’s coaching staff as interim head coach for the two international friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland,” O’Shea said.

“It will be an incredible honour to lead the side into the March international window.

“As everyone will know, I’ve always had immense pride representing my country, whether that be during my playing career or very recently, as part of the coaching staff for the men’s senior team and the under-21s.

“It’s great that Paddy has agreed to come on board for the two matches and work will begin straight away to prepare for two top-quality fixtures against great opposition in Belgium and Switzerland, in front of our fantastic home support.

“I’ve got great belief in this group of players to win football matches and I’m looking forward to some positive results.”

Former Wales boss Chris Coleman and England Under-21s coach Lee Carsley have been among those linked with the vacant Republic post.

In announcing O’Shea’s interim appointment, FAI director of football Marc Canham said: “We are…pleased to confirm that the process for the appointment of a new men’s head coach is near completion and we are looking forward to announcing that appointment in April.

“For now, the focus is on the upcoming matches against Belgium and Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium and supporting John and his team as they prepare for the games.”

Belgium visit Dublin on March 23 before Switzerland follow three days later.

On O’Shea’s appointment, Canham added: “John has developed a strong level of excellent coaching experience across both domestic and international football and has recently been involved at both Under-21 and senior level with Ireland alongside his considerable achievements as an international player and in his club career.

“John knows this group of players extremely well and with the support and expertise of Paddy, we believe this team are the right choice for the interim period.”

Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell will join England’s squad for a three-day training camp in York ahead of the final two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations.

Harlequins fly-half Smith is yet to feature in this year’s championship due to a calf issue, while Northampton scrum-half Mitchell twisted his knee in training after starting the victories over Italy and Wales.

The returning pair will continue rehabilitating their respective injuries alongside a 36-man group, the Rugby Football Union has announced.

Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who scored a try as a replacement in Saturday’s 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland, will be absent as he has a medical exam at Exeter University which must be completed face to face.

England return to action on Saturday, March 9 when Grand Slam-chasing Ireland visit Twickenham.

Steve Borthwick’s side, who must beat Andy Farrell’s reigning champions to remain in title contention, complete the tournament a week later by taking on France in Lyon.

Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea will take charge of the Republic of Ireland’s March friendlies after being named interim head coach by the Football Association of Ireland.

O’Shea, who had a spell as assistant to former manager Stephen Kenny, will be supported by Crystal Palace coach Paddy McCarthy and will take charge of games against Belgium and Switzerland next month.

The FAI said in a statement it plans to name a permanent successor to Kenny in early April.

Nicky Henderson has issued an upbeat bulletin on Constitution Hill, a day on from the disappointing workout which rocked the Unibet Champion Hurdle market and racing in general.

The undoubted superstar of the National Hunt world was at Kempton Park on Tuesday morning, as the Seven Barrows trainer put the finishing touches to his Cheltenham Festival squad.

But Henderson was left “in shock” at what Constitution Hill produced, and he subsequently scoped badly.

Giving an update on his X (formerly Twitter account) on Wednesday, he said: “I am pleased to say that Constitution Hill appears perfectly normal this morning. He is bright and well and ate everything last night. His temperature has remained normal both last night and this morning.

“As with all the other horses that galloped at Kempton yesterday, they are having an easy day today. They have had a lead out and all appear to be sound and well and are having a good pick of grass.

“We would plan to ride them all, including Constitution Hill, tomorrow, although he will have quieter exercise for the next 48 hours at least as we still have to bear in mind that he has got a hopefully relatively mild lung infection which has to improve considerably before any serious work could begin again.

“Fresh air is as important as anything for a horse’s lungs. The intention is to rescope on Friday to monitor which way this is going.”

Harry Derham has confirmed Givemefive will not take up his engagements at the Cheltenham Festival following his brave effort in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle on Saturday.

Despite holding entries for both the JCB Triumph Hurdle and Boodles Fred Winter, the young handler had always suggested a run at National Hunt flagship meeting was unlikely.

And having left it all on the track when narrowly denied by Kalif Du Berlais at Kempton, Derham has firmly ruled out a trip to Prestbury Park for his talented juvenile.

He said: “He obviously ran really well and we were very pleased with him.

“It looked to me like he was beaten by a good one and we’re not going to go to Cheltenham. That race has took a fair bit out of him, I haven’t cantered him since and he’s still quite quiet. We will make another plan.

“I wasn’t really tempted (to go to Cheltenham) to be honest. He can’t win the Triumph and he would need to be fresh and well-handicapped to win the Boodles and we’re probably neither. It didn’t tempt me that much and I want to win races, I don’t want to go to Cheltenham to take part.”

Givemefive is owned by Major-winning golfers Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka, with McDowell enjoying his first visit to watch the four-year-old in his Grade Two assignment.

The Northern Irishman may not have experienced the victory which would have capped off his visit to Sunbury, but left having fully relished watching his charge in action.

“Graeme said he had a great time and the race got the heart racing,” added Derham.

“It obviously wasn’t the result we dreamt of but he ran a fantastic race and on the day just wasn’t quite good enough.

Of his next outing, the trainer continued: “We could go to Fairyhouse (for the juvenile Grade Two), but we will just see how he is in the next few weeks. I haven’t cantered him since his run, but as long as he is all right I would be quite keen to go there – he should have had enough time to recover.

“His owners have always said to just do the right thing by the horse, so we will let him recover from Kempton and then we will make a plan.”

Also missing the Festival is Derham’s star mare Queens Gamble.

The six-year-old – who was twice a bumper winner at Cheltenham when trained by Oliver Sherwood – was as short as 10-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle after winning her first three outings over timber, but will now miss the remainder of the season.

“Her leg scanned clean, but there was a little bit of heat in there on Monday,” explained Derham.

“She is very fortunate to be owned by very good and understanding owners who don’t want to push her and will give her a chance.

“She will be back in the autumn with no problems at all.”

Andy Murray has hinted he will keep going until at least this summer’s Olympics.

The 36-year-old has been speaking openly about the impending end of his career this season and said after beating Denis Shapovalov in Dubai on Monday: “I probably don’t have too long left, but I’ll do as best as I can these last few months.”

Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to bow out, and he told Radio 4’s Today programme he is likely to make that information public at some point.

“When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament,” he said. “Whether I say anything months ahead of the time, I don’t know.”

While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer.

Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”

If the Scot does not qualifying by ranking – he has slipped down the standings to 67 after a difficult start to the year – he could seek a spot in the draw as a previous champion.