Bernie Ecclestone has said he would be surprised if Ferrari pulled off the biggest transfer in recent Formula One memory by signing Lewis Hamilton – and believes it is Mercedes or bust for the British driver. Hamilton’s future in the sport remains under scrutiny with six months to run on his current £40million-a-year deal at Mercedes. Both Hamilton, 38, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have said they expect a new deal will be agreed. The Daily Mail this week reported that Ferrari are preparing a blockbuster bid for Hamilton – which could involve a swap deal with Charles Leclerc – while La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Hamilton has already received an offer from the Italian team. Speaking to the PA news agency, F1’s former supremo Ecclestone, who remains well connected in the sport, said: “I would be surprised that Ferrari would want to get rid of Leclerc to sign Lewis because they are very much in love with Leclerc. “Lewis has said that when he does decide to stop he would still want to be connected with Mercedes so it would surprise me if he wanted to leave. “And if I was Lewis and I saw that Leclerc is happy to leave Ferrari, I would think there has to be a problem there. “I also don’t know why Lewis would think he would be better off at Ferrari than where he is at the moment. He knows everything well and truly at Mercedes. They know him, and they have a lot of respect for him so he couldn’t be better looked after anywhere. “Ferrari is not a retirement home either. They want to win the world championship more than anyone. So personally, I think he will stay at Mercedes, or he will retire.” Hamilton is gearing up for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix and is set to address his future in the Principality on Thursday. The seven-time world champion qualified 13th at the last race in Miami before driving well to finish sixth, but he is already 63 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the championship standings. “I don’t know what has happened to Mercedes and how they have suddenly got in the state that they find themselves in at the moment,” added Ecclestone, 92. “I can understand Lewis being frustrated because he has been there for all that time and done well for Mercedes and for himself. But his contract is a lot of money to walk away from and that is a big problem. “The only place Lewis can go to to win that eighth world championship is Red Bull, but for sure there is no room there. It is impossible. There is no chance.” Hamilton’s Mercedes team will bring a major upgrade to the sixth round of the season in Monaco, but Wolff has already warned his superstar driver that his new machinery will not haul him into championship contention. “It won’t be a silver bullet because from my experience, they do not exist in our sport,” Wolff said. “We hope that it gives the drivers a more stable and predictable platform. Then we can build on that in the weeks and months ahead. “F1 is tough competition and a meritocracy. We are not where we want to be but there’s no sense of entitlement. It’s just about hard work to get us to the front.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled amid persistent rain in northern Italy Lewis Hamilton will stay with Mercedes as nowhere else to go – Guenther Steiner

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Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu complained about unconscious refereeing bias after his side narrowly lost to England in the Rugby World...

Islam Makhachev stunned Alexander Volkanovski with a first-round knockout on Saturday, retaining the lightweight title in their rematch at UFC 294. In February, Makhachev outpointed Volkanovski – who holds the featherweight belt – in the latter’s native Australia, in a competitive clash that left many fans desiring a rematch. Few expected it to come at UFC 294, but 11 days before the event, Makhachev’s original challenger Charles Oliveira suffered a severe cut over his eye. And with that, the door opened for Volkanovski. The 35-year-old relished the chance to avenge his narrow loss to Makhachev, but there was to be no revenge for him – only a repeat as the Russian triumphed again, and in finer fashion this time. Midway through the first round of the main event, southpaw Makhachev skimmed his left shin off Volkanovski’s head, wobbling and dropping the featherweight king. Makhachev, 31, followed up with a fierce flurry of hammer fists to the grounded Aussie, whose brow split open amid the onslaught. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in, confirming an emphatic victory and title defence for Makhachev, the mentee and childhood friend of UFC lightweight great Khabib Nurmagomedov. The result extended Makhachev’s win streak to 13 fights, dating back to 2015, when he suffered the sole loss of his professional career. Meanwhile, Volkanovski was beaten for the third time as a pro, though he remains undefeated at his preferred weight of 145lbs. “Alexander The Great” rebounded from his first loss to Makhachev by stopping Yair Rodriguez in July, retaining the featherweight title against the then-interim champion. He will look to respond to his latest defeat when he takes on his next title challenger – likely Ilia Topuria in January. Meanwhile, Makhachev could be set for a rematch with Oliveira, whom he was originally due to face at UFC 294 and whom he submitted in October 2022 to win the lightweight belt. The 155lbs title was vacant at the time of that bout, which took place in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena like UFC 294, after Oliveira was stripped of the belt for missing weight in May 2022. Meanwhile, Volkanovski’s featherweight title reign dates back to 2019, when he took the belt from Max Holloway. The Australian has since outpointed Holloway a further two times, while also winning his other three title defences – against Brian Ortega on points, and against Chan Sung Jung and Rodriguez via TKO. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list When will Conor McGregor return to the UFC? UFC 294 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Makhachev fight updates and results tonight Islam Makhachev demands two words from Alexander Volkanovski ahead of UFC 294 Volkanovski vs Makhachev gamble shows the best and worst of the UFC

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Star of the chess world Hikaru Nakamura has hit out at grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik after being accused of cheating. Grandmaster Nakamura recently responded to the cheating allegations against him by going on a crazy winning streak – after his initial good run caused others to speculate about the validity of his record. It comes after Nakamura dismissed “garbage” claims that he had cheated recently after going on a 15-game winning streak and blowing away opponents. Kramnik initially added fuel to the fire by appearing to have accused Nakamura of cheating in a cryptic post after referencing a number of “interesting” statistics behind his incredible form. Now, he’s deleted his initial post, leading to Nakamura slamming him for spreading the accusations. MORE DRAMA - Kramnik Unhinged www.youtube.com Posting a recent YouTube video, Nakamara said: “Someone doesn’t get to say these things without actual proof. They don’t get to falsely accuse people over and over again without having to pay a price. “It’s very disrespectful and to me, it shows that Kramnik simply has no respect for anybody at the end of the day. You don’t get to make false accusations when you are not an expert. You don’t get to make false accusations when you do not have data to back yourself up.” He went on to say: “I’m very proud of my record playing online, very proud of it, and I have nothing to hide.” Nakamura also hit out at Kramnik’s claims that he had set up bots to criticise him in comments sections online. “I would have to have an ego literally 100 times the size of my ego and it would have to be beyond chess to literally pay people, pay bots to come and post comments,” he said. “I think it’s very disrespectful of Kramnik.” Nakamura added: “For Kramnik to basically be insulting all of these mathematicians and statisticians who provided their name and used actual mathematical figures is very, very disrespectful and I think it shows that Kramnik has no respect for anybody at the end of the day. “It’s sad to see, but that’s really where I’m going to leave it for now because there’s just… I don’t see anything good coming from it.” Who knows where the biggest drama in the chess world will take us next… Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Lee Hodges birdied four of his last six holes for a 7-under 64 and a four-stroke lead over Tyler Duncan on Friday after almost two rounds of the 3M Open

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Real Madrid’s most decorated player Karim Benzema is to leave the club after 14 years. France striker Benzema, 35, won 25 trophies during his time in Madrid and scored 353 goals in 647 appearances to become Real’s second all-time top scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo. “Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period as a player for our club,” read a club statement from the Spanish giants. “Real Madrid would like to show its gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends. “Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism, and he has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future. “Madridistas and all the fans around the world have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football. “Real Madrid is and will always be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best in this new stage of his life.” Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or and UEFA Player of the Year, joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported transfer fee of 35 million euros. He is fifth on the list of players with the most Real appearances and his trophy haul in Spain includes five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups. Benzema has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Real have confirmed they will hold “an institutional act of tribute and farewell” to Benzema in the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live