Canadian Jacques Villeneuve will lose 10 places on Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix starting grid after a clumsy mechanic damaged the engine in his BMW Sauber.

"Sunday night at the Nuerburgring, when the engine was prepared for transportation, it was probably damaged," team principal Mario Theissen said. "It was not dropped but I won't tell you what happened because I have to blame a team member. Due to the regulations we are not allowed to open it to have a further investigation."

Rallying - Subaru interested in Sordo

Subaru are keeping a close eye on young Spaniard Dani Sordo as a future prospect, the team's sporting director Luis Moya has said.

The junior world champion is in his first full season driving a Citroen for the Kronos Racing team, who also have world champion Sebastien Loeb.

Sordo finished second behind Loeb in his home Catalunya Rally in March and was third in Corsica.

Athletics - Gatlin to attempt 100m world record

World and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin will try to break the 100 metres world record at today's IAAF Super Tour meeting in Doha.

The American sprinter said his sole target in 2006 was to add the world record to his name. "I've the Olympic gold and the world championship gold, but I want to add the world record to my name," Gatlin said.

Jamaica's Asafa Powell holds the world mark of 9.77 seconds, set in Athens last June. Gatlin will not meet Powell until the grand prix meeting in Gateshead, England on June 11.

Tennis - German Open - Hingis eases past Dementieva

Former world number one Martina Hingis eased past fifth seed Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-2 yesterday to reach the quarter-finals of the German Open and set up a clash with Amelie Mauresmo. The French player beat Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-4 6-2.

Unseeded Hingis had a surprisingly easy time of it against the Russian on another day of brilliant sunshine at the Steffi Graf stadium.