Honda has extended its tie-up with Formula One pace-setters Red Bull through to the end of the 2025 season, providing long-term stability as the team and star driver Max Verstappen close in on more success.

The Japanese auto giant formally withdrew from F1 at the end of last season but has continued to support the Red Bull Powertrains power unit division with vital technical assistance.

Red Bull's deal with Honda, which supplies the Austrian team's power units, had been due to expire after the 2023 campaign but will now run for a further two years.

Team principal Christian Horner said: "Red Bull's partnership with Honda has been an incredibly successful one and we are pleased that this will continue until the end of the current era of the FIA's power unit regulations in 2025."

Red Bull lead the constructors' championship after 13 of this season's 22 races, with Ferrari a distant second, while reigning drivers' champion Verstappen is well on his way to a second title, with his haul of 258 points putting him 80 clear of second-placed Charles Leclerc.

Verstappen, contracted until 2028, won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, after Red Bull's support crew overcame a power unit issue that affected his qualifying performance.

F1 is now on its mid-season break ahead of a resumption on the final weekend of August in Belgium.

Alpine expected Fernando Alonso to agree a new contract with the team right up until the moment his move to Aston Martin was announced, Otmar Szafnauer has revealed.

And Alpine team principal Szafnauer's attempts to subsequently get in touch with Alonso have proved unsuccessful.

Alonso has driven for Alpine since their rebrand ahead of the 2021 season, returning to Formula One after two seasons away.

The Spaniard had won world championships with Renault – the team under their previous name – back in 2005 and 2006.

Now a midfield runner, Alonso has secured only a single podium in his second stint with the French team, but his switch to Aston Martin on Monday came as somewhat of a surprise – not least to Alpine.

Alonso will replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel in 2023, with his move the first of the mid-season break after Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.

As of the end of that race, in which Alonso finished eighth, Szafnauer thought his superstar driver was returning next year.

"[The Aston Martin statement] was the first confirmation I had," the Alpine chief told Motorsport.com.

"Obviously, when we're in the paddock, there's all sorts of rumours, and I had heard rumours that Aston were interested.

"Once you hear that they're interested, there's probably discussions that took place, and there's some other indications that discussions took place, like walking out of the same motorhome at the same time, all that kind of stuff, which I saw.

"But I was confident that, even with the discussions, and there's nothing wrong with exploring, we were very close.

"So, yes, the first confirmation I had was the press release. I did ask the question [to Alonso]. And I was told: 'No, no, I haven't signed anything.' So, I was a bit surprised."

Asked if he had since spoken to Alonso, Szafnauer replied: "I haven't talked to him, since he's on a boat, I think, in the Greek Isles somewhere.

"I took this morning to address the staff. And the second thing I'm doing is talking to you. And yesterday, I fielded a bunch of calls from other potential drivers."

One obvious option is Oscar Piastri, the Alpine reserve driver who had appeared set for a year at Williams when Alonso was in line for a new contract.

However, Szafnauer faces issues on that front, too, amid claims Piastri has agreed to race instead for McLaren – something Alpine have not agreed to.

"I'm not privy to whatever pre-arrangements he has with McLaren, if any at all," Szafnauer said, stating Alpine have "a legal contract" with Piastri for 2023.

He added: "Oscar and his camp are considering their options, whatever that means."

Jurgen Klopp was delighted by confirmation of a new long-term contract for Diogo Jota at Liverpool, where the forward now plans to play his prime years.

Liverpool announced Jota's extension on Tuesday, with his new deal reportedly set to expire in 2027.

After Mohamed Salah similarly agreed fresh terms and Darwin Nunez was bought from Benfica, Liverpool head into the new Premier League season with a strong attacking line-up despite the departure of Sadio Mane.

Only Salah (60) and Mane (39) have scored more goals for Liverpool than Jota (34) since he joined the club in 2020, with the same two players also leading the way in goal involvements (82 for Salah, 49 for Mane, 41 for Jota).

Averaging a goal every 157 minutes in all competitions, Jota outperformed Mane (192 mins) over this period, while his shot conversion rate of 17.7 per cent marginally betters Salah's 17.5 per cent.

However, these are not the only qualities of value to Klopp, who told Liverpool's official website: "[It is] brilliant, brilliant news, I would say.

"His qualities are obvious. He scores goals – not a bad quality – he works unbelievably hard for the team, his pressing and counter-pressing are on an unbelievable level, he can play in all of our attacking roles, and he has an incredible attitude. Not a bad package, not bad at all.

"As a striker who can play on the wing, he gives us so many options, and since he came to Liverpool, he has improved so much.

"I have said before that Diogo is the player we hoped he would be but also a little bit better, so long may this continue."

Jota, who signed from Wolves, also thought he would be a good fit for the high-energy team and has since averaged 3.9 recoveries per 90 – exactly in line with Roberto Firmino, the man he has largely replaced, over the same period.

But Jota believes he is still yet to peak, having netted 21 goals last season after 13 the year before.

"[I'm] quite different [now], I have to say," he said. "I obviously played kind of a different role as well most of the time.

"It helped me grow as a player, obviously more mature now, more knowledge of the game. Everything is better, I have to say.

"We need to obviously keep improving, because I think I didn't reach my prime yet. Hopefully, during the duration of my stay here, I'll do that.

"I said in my very first interview that I thought I suited the style of Jurgen and the team. I think I proved that instantly.

"Now it's a question of developing our game, developing the intensity we play [with], because although we are doing brilliantly, there's always one more step, and that's the step we are trying to make every time."

Sergio Aguero does not understand why Manchester City sold Raheem Sterling to Chelsea, while also suggesting Erling Haaland will need time to adapt to the Premier League.

City sold Sterling to Chelsea for a fee in the region of £45million last month, with the England international following fellow forward Gabriel Jesus out of the exit door and to London, with the latter having joined Arsenal along with Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Sterling scored 17 goals in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's team last season, a tally only bettered by Riyad Mahrez (24) and Kevin De Bruyne (19), as they conducted a successful defence of their title, but wanted guaranteed game time that City were unable to offer.

That, in part, was due to the signing of Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, while Julian Alavrez has also arrived to bolster a prolific frontline that features Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Mahrez.

Yet Sterling's former team-mate and City's record goalscorer Aguero was confused by the decision to sell the 27-year-old to a Premier League rival.

"I don't understand the sale of Sterling," said Aguero on his Twitch channel.

"There are times they [City] make strange decisions."

Haaland struggled on his competitive City debut, cutting a frustrated figure as Pep Guardiola's team went down 3-1 to Liverpool in the Community Shield on Saturday.

The Norway international only managed three touches in the opening 30 minutes, all of which came in his own half, and he missed the best chance of the game from open play, according to Opta's expected goals model, when he struck the crossbar from six yards out deep in stoppage time.

"He was too used to Germany," Aguero said of the 22-year-old's performance.

"Haaland thought he was alone, then [Virgil] van Dijk arrived and said 'welcome to the Premier League'."

Alvarez did however impress, coming on from the bench to add a different dimension to City's attack and dragging them level when he bundled in from close range following a goalmouth scramble.

Asked what advice he gave to his compatriot when Alvarez signed for City, Aguero quipped: "Julian sent me a message to find out how life is in Manchester. I told him that he was going to be very cold!"

City start their Premier League campaign away at West Ham on Sunday, while Sterling will likely receive his competitive bow for Chelsea at Everton a day earlier.

Diogo Jota has become the latest Liverpool forward to sign a new long-term contract at Anfield.

The Reds headed into the close-season with their superstar front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino entering the final 12 months of their respective deals.

Salah agreed new terms, while Mane left for Bayern Munich. Firmino has made clear his desire to stay but is yet to put pen to paper.

Now, in the week before the start of the new Premier League season, Jota has ensured he will remain a key part of this Liverpool team.

The Portugal international signed from Wolves in September 2020 and quickly established himself ahead of Firmino in the pecking order, although Mane often played through the centre last season.

This term, Jota will have further competition in the form of new signing Darwin Nunez, but the 25-year-old – who has scored 34 goals in 85 games for Liverpool – is up for the fight.

Reportedly now under contract until 2027, Jota told Liverpool's official website: "Well, [I'm] really proud, I have to say.

"Obviously, since I arrived two years ago, I established myself as an important player in this team – that's what I wanted from the beginning.

"Now, signing a new long-term deal, it's obviously from the club's perspective proof of the belief in myself as a player. For me, obviously it's really good to establish I'll be here for a while.

"So, the beginning of a new season, let's do it."

In his time at Liverpool, only Salah (60 goals, 22 assists) and Mane (39 goals, 10 assists) have scored more goals or registered more goal involvements (41 for Jota) than the striker.

Jota has impressively averaged a goal every 157 minutes in all competitions. He ranks fourth among Liverpool players over this period in that regard, behind Nunez (31), who netted on his debut on Saturday, the departed Takumi Minamino (133) and Salah (135).

Baker Mayfield's focus is solely on the Carolina Panthers and his "transparent" battle with fellow quarterback Sam Darnold, despite developments in the Deshaun Watson saga at former team the Cleveland Browns.

Mayfield – the Browns' first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft – was traded to the Panthers last month after Cleveland had moved for Watson.

But when the Panthers play the Browns in Week 1, Watson will be absent, following news of his suspension by the league on Monday.

Former US district judge Sue L. Robinson advised the NFL that Watson should be banned for six games with no additional fine following a disciplinary hearing.

Watson faced 24 civil lawsuits following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

The NFL could yet appeal that decision and pursue a longer suspension, but both the Browns and the NFLPA have accepted the punishment.

Jacoby Brissett will instead fill in until late October, but that is of no interest to Mayfield, who told reporters: "Honestly, it's none of my business.

"I don't play against the other quarterback. I know that's the most cliched thing to say, but that's just the truth.

"When it comes down to it, I'm game-planning against their defense, and if I'm playing or not, I'm trying to help this team win. That's my mindset going into it, so I've got to keep getting better.

"But I'm not focused about Week 1 right now. We'll handle that when it comes, but for now it's about getting the Panthers better and our offense continuing to get better as well."

Indeed, there is no guarantee Mayfield will be starting either, as he faces competition from Darnold – the third overall pick in the same 2018 draft – for the starting spot.

Mayfield is happy with how that tussle has been treated by his new team, though.

"Everything has been extremely transparent," he said. "They're telling us exactly how they're handling it.

"It's not being said to one person and Sam hears another thing; it's right there in front of us and clear and concise."

Tiger Woods was offered a package worth between $700million and $800m to compete in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, according to the competition's chief executive Greg Norman.

Woods, a 15-time major winner, has been an advocate for the PGA Tour, which has been embroiled in a tussle with the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway league.

LIV Golf held its latest event last weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Henrik Stenson – who was removed as Ryder Cup captain after deciding to join the new tour – claiming victory in his first outing.

Norman previously said that Woods had been offered a "high nine digits" sum to join LIV Golf, which has so far been unable to attract many of the world's best, though has snagged big names such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson.

In an interview with Fox News with Tucker Carlson that was broadcast on Monday in the United States, Norman confirmed that Woods had been offered in the region of $700m to $800m.

"That number was out there before I became CEO. So that number has been out there, yes," Norman said.

"And, look, Tiger is a needle-mover and of course you have to look at the best of the best.

"So they had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO. So, yes, that number was somewhere in that neighbourhood."

Two-time major winner Norman has become a controversial figure within the sport, and was barred from attending the Celebration of Champions or the Champions' Dinner prior to The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews last month.

Woods failed to make the cut at that tournament, but backed the decision to disinvite Norman from the celebrations, saying: "Greg has done some things that I don't think are in the best interest of our game, and we're coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it's the right thing."

Yet the Australian is unperturbed by any possible damage to his reputation.

"I really don't care," said Norman, who claimed he is unaware why LIV Golf has caused such uproar.

"I just love the game so much and I want to grow the game of golf and we at LIV see that opportunity not just for the men but for the women."

Roman Abramovich's tenure as Chelsea owner means the Premier League might have to implement tougher testing for potential owners, according to the competition's chief executive Richard Masters.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 and oversaw a transformative period for the club, who have since won five Premier League titles and triumphed five times in the FA Cup, three times in the EFL Cup and the Champions League twice.

However, Abramovich was forced to put the Blues up for sale earlier this year when, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK government sanctioned the Russian oligarch.

Todd Boehly, who also co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, led a consortium that eventually bought the club in May, bringing an end to Abramovich's spell at the helm after 19 years.

"It's difficult to say now, with hindsight, that it's all been good, given what has transpired over the last six and a half months," Masters said when asked for his thoughts on Abramovich's time as a club owner.

"I think if you ask Chelsea fans, they would give you a different answer."

Masters suggested that English football, and in particular the top flight, must now improve on the controls and safeguards they have in place when granting would-be owners permission to purchase clubs.

"I think the situation we ended with has given the sport some challenges we've got to meet," he added.

"Ultimately, there wasn't an owners' and directors' test when Abramovich took ownership of Chelsea, so I suppose the answer to the question is, had there been that in place what would have happened and what safeguards we need to build in for the future?

"[There is] a rolling test, yes. Prevention is better than cure, isn't it? There wasn't then, there is now, it's going to change and part of that actually is probably going to be the strengthening of the annual test."

Boehly's purchase of Chelsea went through just before the UK government's deadline of May 31, and Masters explained there was genuine concern over the club's status.

"You're in unique circumstances, nothing like this has happened before," he said.

"There was obviously a genuine concern the sale wouldn't take place in the timeframe that was available.

"That didn't happen thankfully. A lot of people worked extremely hard on it at the club's end, the government's end and [the] Premier League's end to make sure things were running as smoothly as possible. We're very pleased that it happened, obviously."

Masters' comments come on the eve of the new Premier League season, with Chelsea in action against Everton on Saturday.

Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto remains none the wiser about his future despite the franchise's fans giving him a warm farewell in Monday's 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.

The 23-year-old slugger, who won last month's Home Run Derby, has been the subject of plenty of speculation ahead of Tuesday's MLB Trade Deadline.

The Nationals have the worst record, 35-69, in the majors and are looking to sell players.

Soto homered with three walks in Monday's defeat as Nats fans were heard chanting 'we love Soto'.

"It means a lot,'' Soto said about the fans. "It kind of feels weird, too, because nothing's happened yet. We're still waiting.

"It's kind of cool at the same time, but it's kind of weird, too."

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the franchises who have been linked with Soto, while the player himself has not ruled out staying put.

"I feel good where I'm at,'' Soto said. "I understand it's a business and they need to do whatever they need to do.

"I'm just another player, another employee here like [former team-mate Ryan Zimmerman] used to say."

Nats manager Dave Martinez insisted they would not give up Soto for anything less than a good deal.

"You’re not going to give away these players and not get something in return that we feel like, 'Hey, this is what our future’s going to be, and this is going to be really good for us'," Martinez said.

"Those guys up there [in the front office] are working diligently to get those players that we need, if we can get it. If not, we have arguably one of the youngest best players in the game, and I love the kid."

Soto is batting at .246 with 21 home runs, 62 runs, 84 hits and 46 RBIs this season, with the third-best 2022 majors on-base percentage of .415.

Timo Werner has only managed 23 goals in his first two seasons with Chelsea after joining from Leipzig in mid-2020.

The new Blues owners are open to allowing Werner, who signed on a five-year contract, to depart on loan.

The 26-year-old scored 95 goals in 159 appearances with Leipzig from 2016 to 2020.

TOP STORY – LEIPZIG LEAD RACE FOR CHELSEA'S WERNER

Leipzig are leading the race to sign Chelsea striker Werner ahead of Juventus, claims Fabrizio Romano.

The Bundesliga club met with Chelsea on Sunday, proposing a swap deal for Werner, who is Leipzig's main target.

Juventus and Newcastle United have also shown an interest in the Germany international. 

ROUND-UP

– Barcelona are considering a move for Leipzig defender Angelino should they miss out on Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso, claims Diario Sport.

– Everton could make a move for forgotten Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi, according to talkSPORT. The Toffees lost Richarlison to Tottenham last month and will turn to Batshuayi, who scored 14 goals on loan at Besiktas last season.

– Portuguese forward Diogo Jota is set to be rewarded for his strong second season at Anfield, with Liverpool to offer him a lucrative pay rise as part of a new deal, despite having three years to run on his contract, claims The Telegraph.

– Napoli and Chelsea are in talks on a loan deal for Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to Sky Sports.

– Football Insider reports that Leicester City have informed Newcastle that midfielder James Maddison will cost them £60million as they circle for his signature.

– Leicester City are set to farewell goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel,  who is on the cusp of joining French Ligue 1 club Nice, reports the Mail.

League leader Aaron Judge continued his remarkable form after the All-Star Game with his 43rd home run of the season as the New York Yankees flexed with a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

Judge made majors history with his 10th home run since the All-Star Game, joining Albert Belle in achieving that feat in only 12 games after the break.

The Yankees outfielder had hit a first-inning double, before Anthony Rizzo's three-run blast – his 26th home run of the season – opened up an early 3-0 lead.

Judge took center stage in the second inning with his home run putting the Yankees up 5-1, marking 12 blasts in his past 14 games.

Jose Trevino got in on the act, after a lean month, with home runs in the fourth and eighth innings for his first career multi-homer game.

The result keeps the Yankees top of the American League (AL) East with a 70-34 record, while the Mariners are second in the AL West with a 55-49 record.

Judge leads the majors for home runs this season with 43 with a league-high .680 slugging percentage, batting at .299 with 89 runs, 115 hits and 93 RBIs.

Hot property Soto stars as Mets see off Nats

Amid trade speculation, Juan Soto underlined his value with the Washington Nationals with a fine all-round performance in their 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.

Soto showed off his speed around the bases to score for 1-0 in the first inning, before some brilliance from the outfield saw him throw out runner Tomas Nido on the home plate.

After Pete Alonso's 27th blast of the season put the Mets 4-1 up, Soto returned fire with his own home run in the fourth inning, his 21st of the year.

Francisco Lindor's sixth inning homer rounded out the win for the Mets who improve to 65-37.

Dodgers too strong for Giants

Max Muncy and Trea Turner both homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers proved too good for National League (NL) West rivals San Francisco Giants 8-2.

Muncy's second-inning two-run blast put the Dodgers ahead after Darin Ruf scored in the first, with Freddie Freeman driving in Mookie Betts in the fourth to open up a 4-1 lead.

Turner unleashed his 17th home run of the season at the top of the seventh inning with a fly ball to center field to settle the contest, helping the Dodgers move to 69-33 at the top of the NL West.

Elena Rybakina has been bundled out of the first round of the Silicon Valley Classic by Daria Kasatkina in her first game since her Wimbledon triumph last month.

Rybakina won the first set comfortably before the Russian hit back for a remarkable turnaround win, 1-6 6-2 6-0 in one hour and 40 minutes.

Seventh seed Kasatkina was the runner-up at last year's Silicon Valley Classic and found her groove to break her Rybakina six times in the second and third sets.

Rybakina sent down three of her four aces for the match in the first set, but Kasatkina adjusted to her serve and won 52.1 per cent return points for the match.

Eighth seed Karolina Pliskova fought back from a slow start to get past Katie Boulter 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, despite 16 double faults.

American Amanda Anisimova overcame compatriot Ashlyn Krueger 6-2 7-6 (7-5). US pair Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend were also winners.

Third seed Simona Halep and top seed Jessica Pegula were both among the winners in the first round at the Citi Open in Washington DC.

Two-time major winner Halep cruised past Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 20 minutes.

Halep, playing her first match since her Wimbledon semi-final loss to Rybakina, fired 19 winners but also 33 unforced errors.

Defending champion Pegula made light work of countrywoman Hailey Baptiste 6-2 6-2 in 73 minutes.

Pegula will face unseeded Australian Daria Saville, who won in three sets over Mirjam Bjorklund, while sixth seed Kaia Kanepi will meet China's Zhu Lin after both won on Monday.

Fifth seed Elise Mertens was a first-round casualty, going down 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to Ludmilla Samsonova, while Croatian Donna Vekic knocked off seventh seed Mayar Sherif 6-4 6-1.

Six-time major champion Venus Williams played her first singles match in nearly a year but bowed out 4-6 6-1 6-4 to Rebecca Marino. 

Former world number one Andy Murray was left frustrated after physically fading on his way to a first-round exit at the Citi Open with a 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-1 loss to Mikael Ymer on Tuesday.

The three-time Grand Slam winner failed to convert four set points in the first set before the Swede triumphed in two hours and 50 minutes.

The match was full of momentum swings, with the 35-year-old capitalising on Ymer's own physical issues, appearing to cramp in the second set, to level it up after winning five of the final six games of the set.

But 23-year-old Ymer regained his composure and physical state to race away with the third set for victory, rounding out 37 winners for the match, leaving Murray frustrated.

"It was disappointing obviously," Murray told reporters. "I thought there was some good tennis in the first set. After that, both of us were struggling a bit physically. The level of the tennis was not great.

 "Obviously [I] had chances in the first set to close that out. I had set point at 6-5, then... three in the tie-break and didn't get it.

"I think he seemed like maybe he was cramping a little bit in the second set, but recovered absolutely fine after the break at the end of the [second] set.

"Went off to change and cool off a little bit, and he recovered well for the third, whereas I didn't really. Yeah, just frustrating."

The first-round exit comes after Murray lost in the Hall of Fame Open quarter-finals in Newport to Alexander Bublik when he cramped up in hot and humid conditions.

"Struggled a little bit the past two tournaments with that," he said. "I need to have a little look at that with my team and maybe see why that is, make a few changes."

French veteran Adrian Mannarino took care of Bradley Klahn 6-2 6-4, while Jack Draper beat Stefan Kozlov 7-5 6-2 to set up a second-round date with top seed Andrey Rublev.

World number 112 Benoit Paire also triumphed in the first round on Tuesday, getting past Peter Gojowczyk 7-5 6-4.

Kyle Edmund, Jack Draper, Borna Gojo, Dominik Koepfer, J.J Wolf and Denis Kudla also were victorious, with Alexei Popyrin progressing after a walkover against Wu Tung-lin.