Sebastian Vettel will miss the opening race of the 2022 Formula One World Championship after the Aston Martin driver was ruled out of the Bahrain Grand Prix following a positive test for COVID-19.
The four-time world champion will be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for the first event of the season, marking his first F1 race since 2020 and coincidentally taking place at the same venue where he made his debut with Williams in 2010.
Vettel, who headed up Aston Martin's return to F1 last year, secured a second-place podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in his maiden season with the team.
But the former Red Bull driver, who dominated the drivers' championship across a four-year stretch between 2010 and 2013, struggled to maintain that form across the rest of the campaign.
Hulkenberg will race alongside Lance Stroll this weekend and will take control of the car from FP1 on Friday.
Elsewhere, McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo will be fit to feature after missing the last week of testing through coronavirus.
The Australian, however, has since returned a negative test and will feature for the team this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has criticised Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart for "dangerous play" in the incident that led to Stephen Curry being forced off injured.
Curry left the court in the second quarter due to a left-foot injury that he was immediately sent for an MRI on post-game after the Warriors lost 110-88 to the Celtics.
The two-time MVP and Smart contested a loose ball, with the Celtics forward rolling on to Curry's left leg, leaving him limping, before exiting the game.
Kerr and Smart exchanged words on the sidelines shortly after the incident, with the Warriors head coach particularly vocal.
"I thought it was a dangerous play," Kerr told reporters. "I thought Marcus dove into Steph, and that's what I was upset about.
"I've got a lot of respect for Marcus. He's a hell of a player, a gamer, a competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game and we're good. But I thought it was a dangerous play."
Kerr said the Warriors would learn the extent of Curry's injury once the MRI scans were returned and offered no insight on their level of concerns.
Meanwhile, Smart defended himself from Kerr's claims, stating that Curry's injury was "unfortunate" and that he was "not a dirty player".
"I saw the ball, I dove for the ball, trying to make a play. Unfortunately that occurred," Smart said.
He added: "I'm sure I'm going to get called dirty. But I know who I am. I play very hard and I leave everything on the court. My teammates, my colleagues, they know I'm not a dirty player."
The result leaves the Warriors with a 47-23 record to be third in the Western Conference having lost six of their past 10 games.
Spencer Dinwiddie delivered the buzzer-beating dagger in the Dallas Mavericks' 113-111 win on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
In a game with First Team All-NBA stars Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant going head-to-head, Dinwiddie hit the most important shot of the night as defenders rushed to trap Doncic with just seconds remaining as the Mavericks trailed 110-111.
The game only required Dinwiddie's heroics after a string of late-game shot-making saw the lead seesaw.
After a Dirk Nowitzki-esque mid-range fadeaway from Doncic to grab a 110-108 lead, Durant took matters into his own hands.
Facing a defence that was game-planned to get the ball out of Durant's hands by sending two defenders to him whenever he had the ball, the seven-foot star was unselfish throughout the game as he moved the ball to the open outlet pass and racked up 10 assists to go with his 23 points (8/20 shooting).
But with everything on the line, Durant was determined to live and die by his own shot-making, pulling up and draining a ridiculous long-three with two defenders closing in on him to nab a one-point lead, before Dindwiddie answered.
Kevin Durant says he does not need to hold new Brooklyn Nets acquisition Ben Simmons' hand after his latest setback as he bids to return to the NBA.
Simmons, who was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets last month, received an epidural injection this week, further delaying any Brooklyn debut which is several weeks away at a minimum.
The 25-year-old has not played all season after sitting out the first half of the campaign with the 76ers citing mental health reasons after the fallout from their 2021 playoffs exit.
The Nets reportedly have hope he will play prior to the playoffs as he overcomes a back injury.
After Wednesday's 113-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Durant was asked how to keep Simmons engaged as he continues on the sidelines for even longer.
"He's a grown man. He's an All-Star. He's a veteran in this league now," Durant said.
"He's gotta keep himself engaged. I ain't ever gonna hold anybody's hand in this league. He knows that.
"He doesn’t want anybody to make sure he's being a professional. I can't wait to get him back but we don’t want to rush him.
"Hopefully he gets back soon. I know he misses it."
The Nets' latest defeat leaves them with a 36-34 record, sitting in eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Durant finished with 23 points, six rebounds and 10 assists and Andre Drummond added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the short-handed Nets.
The Mavs triumphed courtesy of a Spencer Dinwiddie's game-winning three-pointer on the final buzzer.
Dinwiddie finished with 22 points, while Luka Doncic added 37 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
"When you watch that last play, just regret, wondering what the game would have been like if I didn't go jump Luka right there, you know what I'm saying?" Durant said. "So in hindsight I wish I would have made a different decision, but it is what it is."
Russell Westbrook responded to on-court trash talk during the Los Angeles Lakers' 124-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves claiming none of his opponents have "done anything in this league".
Westbrook managed 15 points on five-of-12 shooting along with four rebounds and five assists in the defeat, while LeBron James was kept to 19 points shooting at 38 percent from the field.
The Lakers point guard appeared to be on the wrong end of trash talk from Timberwolves opponent Patrick Beverley. The pair have a chequered history dating back to the 2013 Playoffs, where the then-Oklahoma City guard accused Beverley of a dirty play resulting in Westbrook tearing his meniscus and missing the rest of the postseason.
The beef was reignited in 2019 when Westbrook made light of the Beverley's defense after a Houston Rockets game where James Harden scored 47 points when guarded by him.
Beverley clearly had not forgotten, as he was seen calling Westbrook "trash" and plugging his nose to gesture a bad smell during Wednesday's game.
"I honestly don’t pay no mind to it, maybe other guys do," Westbrook told reporters after the game. "The trash talking doesn’t bother me.
"Nobody out there has done anything in this league that would make we cock my eyes up and think 'oh they're talking mess', nope.
"That's fine, they're good, they won a game. Happy for them. We move on to the next one."
The result leaves the Lakers with a 29-40 record and in peril of missing the playoffs. Westbrook was asked whether the on-court tension could have been used to inspire the Lakers to respond.
"You've got to ask each individual," he said. "Everybody is wired differently. I can't speak for everybody else and if it gives them a rise or not."
On the trash talk, James added: "It's part of the game."
The Lakers trailed 67-46 at half-time but narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter, before the Timberwolves went on a decisive 17-4 run.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel bemoaned bad luck but also "terrible calls" by the referees during that stretch.
"They made three threes, one bounced up to the ceiling and bounced right through. We can't get a bounce," Vogel said.
"We had two questionable calls in the fourth quarter of a close game, with Bron's travel and Bron's illegal screen. Terrible calls. If you're going to call that, call it throughout the whole game. Very frustrating."
Rafael Nadal did it tough against Reilly Opelka on Wednesday, eventually winning his way through to the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Masters.
Nadal displayed an abundance of tactical nous, nullifying the American’s big hitting and service game to emerge the 7-6(6-3) 7-6(7-5) winner.
Along with a 76 percent first-serve rate, Opelka hit more winners with 26 for the match, but the 35-year-old Spaniard was able to grind out points from the baseline with his trademark heavy topspin. As a result, Nadal’s winner/unforced error differential was +14 in comparison to Opelka’s +1.
"He is one of the toughest opponents on tour," Nadal said post-match. "It is very tough to control his weapons with his serve and forehand.
"I think I played my best match of the tournament so far today. I am very pleased with how I was able to win the match, with two difficult tie-breaks. This victory means a lot to me."
The highest ranked player left in the draw, Nadal will now face Nick Kyrgios, who progressed to the quarter-finals after Jannik Sinner withdrew with illness.
Matteo Berrettini made a shock exit, meanwhile, losing 6-3 6-7(5-7) 6-4 to unseeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
The Italian world number six was put under constant pressure, with Kecmanovic targeting his backhand and hovered the baseline to close the angles on serve.
The 22-year-old’s only other top 10 victory came against Alexander Zverev, also the world number six then, at Cincinnati in 2019. He will now face Taylor Fritz, who defeated Alex de Minaur 3-6 6-4 7-6(7-5).
Also on Wednesday, Grigor Dimitrov edged past John Isner 6-3 7-6(8-6). In his unique style, the Bulgarian 33rd seed came up with the shot of the day, flicking a forehand pass across the visibly stunned Isner.
He will face Andrey Rublev, who defeated Hurbert Hurkacz 7-6(7-5) 6-4. In Wednesday’s other results, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia comfortably defeated Gael Monfils 7-5 6-1, while Cameron Norrie accounted for Jenson Brooksby 6-2 6-4.
Stephen Curry was forced to sit out the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ game with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday after injuring his left foot.
With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Curry and Celtics guard Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball. The resulting tumble meant Smart fell on Curry’s leg, causing an inward tweak.
The Warriors confirmed Curry would not return in the second half, citing "left foot soreness".
At that point in the game, Curry had three points, one rebound and two assists with the Warriors down 33-25.
Curry has been the key player for the Warriors this season, with the side sitting third in the Western Conference with a 47-22 record prior to Wednesday's game.
The two-time MVP leads the NBA this season in three-pointers made with 284. Prior to Wednesday's game, Curry was averaging 25.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists this season.
Former world number one Simona Halep emphatically dispatched unseeded Petra Matric 6-1 6-1 in Wednesday's quarter-final at the Indian Wells Open.
Halep landed 75 per cent of her first-serves and won those points at a rate of 82 per cent (27/33).
Martic's serve commanded much less respect, as she landed 69 per cent of her first-serves, but only won 36 per cent of those points (8/22).
After holding in her first service game, Martic allowed Halep to rattle off six consecutive games, with three double-faults assisting her Romanian opponent.
With the win, Halep booked a semi-final matchup against Poland's number three seed Iga Swiatek after she prevailed in her meeting with American Madison Keys in similar fashion.
Za'Darius Smith is returning to the Baltimore Ravens after three seasons away from the team that drafted him.
Released by the Green Bay Packers in a move to create salary cap space, Smith is re-joining the Ravens on a four-year, $35million deal, according to multiple reports.
The versatile edge rusher recorded 18.5 sacks in four seasons for the Ravens after he was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round in 2015.
He joined the Packers in 2019 and racked up 26 sacks across his first two years, helping Green Bay to back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances.
However, a back injury limited him to just one regular-season appearance in 2021. Smith returned for the Packers' Divisional Round matchup with the San Francisco 49ers but could not prevent Green Bay from suffering a 13-10 defeat.
Smith's return to Baltimore sees the Ravens make another high-profile addition to their defense, having also signed safety Marcus Williams to a five-year, $70m contract.
The signings come after a 2021 campaign in which the Ravens missed the playoffs while giving up a league-worst 5.98 yards per play.
Four-time All-Star Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a seven-year $182million contract according to reports.
The 2016 World Series champion and 2016 National League (NL) MVP will join the Rockies after being traded to the San Francisco Giants from the Chicago Cubs in July last year.
The 30-year-old third baseman hit a combined .265 with 25 home runs and 73 RBIs last season for both the Cubs and Giants, earning All-Star selection for the fourth time.
Bryant also had eight hits in the Giants' National League Division Series 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rockies missed the postseason after a 74-87 season where they finished fourth in the NL West as they embarked on a roster upheaval. The bumper multi-year deal reportedly includes a no-trade clause.
Russell Wilson does not fear playing in a loaded AFC West division and says he wants to play another 10 to 12 years and win three or four more Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos.
The blockbuster trade of Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos was made official on Wednesday, the start of the new NFL league year.
The Broncos agreed to send two first-round picks, a pair of second-rounders and a fifth-round selection to the Seahawks to land the nine-time Pro Bowler.
Also included in the deal were quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris, with a fourth-round pick going to Denver along with Wilson.
Having spent his career to this point in the ultra-competitive NFC West, Wilson now has to contend with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have hosted the last four AFC Championship Games, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers and Derek Carr and a Las Vegas Raiders team that made the playoffs last season.
Wilson is relishing six games against such high-quality competition.
Asked about his divisional foes at his introductory media conference, Wilson replied: "Why would you want it any other way? I want to play against the best, I don't fear anything, so I'm looking forward to it.
"My goal is to play 10-12 more years and hopefully win three or four more Super Bowls, that's my mindset."
In a series of farewell statements from the franchise hierarchy, the Seahawks suggested it was Wilson who initiated the process that led to Seattle trading away the greatest quarterback in team history.
"Russell has been a tremendous player, leader, and member of our organisation since the day we drafted him in the third round in 2012," general manager John Schneider said.
"His tireless work ethic has helped make him one of the most successful QBs in NFL history and we thank him for his many contributions on the field and in the community.
"When it became evident that Russell was interested in playing elsewhere, we used that opportunity to explore the market, allowing us to acquire three quality players, tremendous draft capital, and create salary cap flexibility. We have a clear vision about the direction of this team, and this is an exciting time for our organisation."
Wilson, though, rejected such claims, responding: "I didn't initiate it. It was definitely mutual.
"We'll have to read about it later, we'll have some fun maybe with my book one day, we'll have some good stories."
San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr had surgery on his broken left wrist on Wednesday, and is expected to be out of action for three months.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller said the team believes Tatis sustained the injury early in the off-season, but that he only started noticing the symptoms when he started swinging a bat again.
While it has not been confirmed by the organisation, there were reports that Tatis was involved in a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic in December.
Tatis, 23, is entering the second year of his 14-year, $340million deal after an incredible start to his career.
Despite missing time in 2021 due to left shoulder inflammation, Tatis still managed to lead the National League with 42 home runs in just 130 games.
He hit .282, stole 25 bases and had the league's third-highest OPS at .975, finishing the year third in the NL in MVP voting.
Two-time Super Bowl-winning edge rusher Von Miller has signed with the Buffalo Bills in a deal worth a maximum of $120million over six years.
According to reports, Miller is guaranteed $45m at signing, with the contract including $51.5m in total guarantees.
Miller, 33, was widely tipped to return to the Los Angeles Rams after joining the team in a mid-season trade and helping them win their first Super Bowl since returning from St Louis.
Instead, he signed what stands as the fifth-largest contract for a defensive player by total value.
Miller is a seven-time All-Pro, a Super Bowl MVP and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
He is coming off a season in which he reaffirmed his undoubted prowess as one of the league's premier edge rushers.
Miller finished 2021 with 9.5 sacks for the Denver Broncos and the Rams, racking up five for Los Angeles in the final four games of the regular season.
His strong play down the stretch carried into the Rams' triumphant postseason, Miller registering a sack in the wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before sacking Joe Burrow twice in their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
He finished the season fifth among edge rushers with at least 100 one on one matchups with a stunt-adjusted pass rush win rate of 43.40, according to Stats Perform data.
While Miller is still at the top of his game, the Bills also made a move to reinvigorate the career of a player on the offensive side of the ball, signing tight end O.J. Howard on a one-year deal.
A first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, Howard has played an extremely limited role in the Bucs' recent success, tallying just 25 catches in the last two seasons.
Having averaged 16.6 yards per reception across his first two seasons in the league, the Bills will hope they can help him recapture that explosive early form and provide yet more support for quarterback Josh Allen after their phenomenal offensive performance in a memorable overtime shootout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Brooklyn Nets' new star acquisition Ben Simmons received an epidural injection while he was away from the team during the team's trip to Orlando.
Simmons is yet to play a game this season. He was traded by the Philadelphia 76ers after making himself unavailable due to mental health reasons following the fallout from their 2021 playoffs defeat to the Atlanta Hawks, while a back injury has delayed his Nets debut.
In Wednesday's press conference, coach Steve Nash said the hope was that the injection would assist the healing process.
Nash went on to say that the team will have to wait-and-see how Simmons reacts to the treatment, and that there is no current timetable for his return to practice.
The Tennessee Titans are releasing future Hall of Fame wide receiver Julio Jones after an injury-riddled year saw him miss nearly half of the season.
As well as missing games, the 33-year-old showed signs of decline in his on-field play, finishing with career-low marks in yards, touchdowns, and receptions – both on a per-game basis and in total.
The trade to acquire Jones – which involved sending a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons – will go down as a painful one for the Titans in a draft stacked with exciting wide receiver prospects, many of whom will be available in round two.
Tennessee do still have one of the NFL's most exciting young receivers in A.J. Brown, who finished with 869 receiving yards and five touchdowns despite missing four games in 2021.
Jones' departure does, however, create a gaping hole behind Brown on the depth chart, signalling there will be some incoming help for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, either in the draft or in free agency.
Zack Greinke is returning to where he started his major league career, agreeing to a one-year, $13 million contract with the Kansas City Royals, pending a physical, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The Royals selected Greinke with the sixth overall pick of the 2002 draft and he made his MLB debut for the club two years later.
Spending his first seven seasons in Kansas City, Greinke won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award with a league-leading 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 229 1/3 innings.
Pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, he won his second ERA title, recording a 1.66 ERA, and finished second in NL Cy Young voting.
The 38-year-old, who has been selected to six All-Star Games and has won six Gold Gloves, has also pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks and spent the last three seasons with the Houston Astros.
In 29 starts and one appearance out of the bullpen last season, the right-hander went 11-6 with a 4.16 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in a team-leading 171 innings.
The ERA and WHIP were both his highest since 2016, when he posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in his first season for Arizona.
He ranks 23rd on the all-time strikeout list with 2,809 and third behind Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander among active pitchers, but his strikeout rate of 6.32 per nine innings last season was his lowest since it was at 5.61 during his second year in the majors in 2005.
The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed a deal to sign four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Chandler Jones, with Yannick Ngakoue set to head to the Indianapolis Colts in a trade.
According to multiple reports, Jones will join the Raiders on a three-year deal worth roughly $51million.
It follows a stellar six-season spell in Arizona, which saw him record double-digit sacks in five campaigns.
Since 2015, his final year with the New England Patriots, only Aaron Donald (89) has more sacks to his name than Jones (84). No player has forced more fumbles than Jones (27) in that span.
Though he is now 32, Jones showed little sign of slowing down for the Cardinals last season, registering 10.5 sacks as Arizona returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 campaign.
His move to the Raiders sees him reunite with Josh McDaniels, the two having crossed paths during their time in New England, where McDaniels was the offensive coordinator before taking the job in Las Vegas this offseason.
Jones will immediately step in for Ngakoue, who finished last season with 10 sacks, his first time reaching double digits since 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars (12), and will hope to do the same for a Colts team that was 20th in pass rush win rate, according to Stats Perform data, in 2021.
Heading the other way is cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, a former second-round pick of the Colts coming off a statistically impressive season.
Ya-Sin allowed a burn, which is when a receiver wins his matchup with a defender on a play where he is targeted, on 46.8 per cent of targets last season. The average for corners with at least 25 targets was 51.3.
He allowed 5.92 burn yards per target, the fewest among corners (min. 25 targets) and 0.90 burn yards per snap (third fewest), illustrating the limited separation Ya-Sin allowed receivers.
Between the arrivals of Jones and Ya-Sin, a defense that allowed the eighth-fewest yards per pass play (5.91) in the NFL last season will hope to produce sterner showings against opposing aerial attacks under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
The new Saudi Arabia-backed golf competition has announced a series of tournaments that will begin in England in June, the event offering a record $25million (£19.1m) purse.
A number of high-profile players were said to have been targeted by organisers of the lucrative breakaway league from the PGA Tour, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy.
But most of golf's stars, including the trio, denounced the proposal, which appeared to fade away after widespread condemnation and ridicule.
However, the LIV Golf Invitational - headed by chief executive Greg Norman - has been announced and is being regarded as the first form of a breakaway Super Golf League.
The new series will include eight 54-hole events across Europe, America and Asia, with the first tournament set to take place at the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire from 9-11 June, the week before the US Open.
There will be $25m on offer at the inaugural event, $5m more than the record $20m purse at last week's Players Championship, which Cameron Smith won on Monday.
No players have been announced as competing in the breakaway league yet, but the PGA and Europe's DP World Tours have threatened defectors to the new league with lifetime bans.
"In year one, there will be a max of 48 players on 12 four-man teams and a truly global field with golfers invited from all tours around the world to beta test the new format," said a statement from the organisers.
"Each event will have teams comprised of different players determined by a draft the week of the event."
Norman added: "Our events are truly additive to the world of golf. We have done our best to create a schedule that allows players to play elsewhere, while still participating in our events.
"I believe players will increasingly make progress in achieving their right to play where they want. We will help in any way possible and will provide golfers with opportunities to achieve their full potential."
The tournaments will have no cuts and all competitors will start simultaneously, with the season-ending eighth event set to offer an even larger reward.
"Total prize purse for the eight events will reach an unprecedented $255m," the statement continued.
"The first seven regular-season events will carry a total purse of $25m comprised of $20m in individual prizes (all players in the field earn a share) and $5m for the top three teams.
"Following the first seven events, an individual champion will be crowned offering a total purse of $30m for the top three individuals of the season.
"The season-ending eighth event will be a team championship that will provide $50m in total prize funds."
England lock Charlie Ewels has been given a three-match ban for the red card he received early on against Ireland last weekend.
The 26-year-old was dismissed just 82 seconds into Saturday's 32-15 defeat at Twickenham after clashing heads with opposite number James Ryan.
That red card was the earliest ever in the Six Nations, with each of the three quickest in the competition's history each coming in the last two editions.
Ewels will now miss England's final game of this year's tournament against France in Paris, as well as Bath's Premiership fixtures against Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors.
However, he can undertake a Coaching Intervention Programme to have that suspension reduced to two matches, meaning he will be available to face Worcester on March 30.
Ewels was facing a possible ban of up to six weeks, but that was halved due to mitigating factors such as an early acceptance of the red and his remorse.
England's defeat to Ireland means they cannot finish any higher than third in this year's tournament.
Next opponents France are two points better off than Ireland, who host Scotland in the final round of fixtures, and are one win away from a first title and Grand Slam since 2010.
Two of France's three previous Grand Slams have been completed with a win over England in the final round, in 2004 and 2010.
England head to Paris aiming to avoid losing three games in a single edition of the competition for a third time under Eddie Jones, previously doing so in 2018 and 2021.
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