FIA race director Charlie Whiting says Formula One's governing body has no deadline on completion of an investigation into the cause and effects of Fernando Alonso's accident in preseason testing which has forced him to miss this weekend's season-opening race.

Alonso's McLaren team says the Spaniard suffered concussion and will skip the Australian Grand Prix to prevent the risk of serious secondary concussion in Melbourne.

On the eve of perhaps the most telling two days in the Formula One season, several drivers bravely talked up their chances of challenging Mercedes, while fearing that Friday's practice session at the Australian Grand Prix and Saturday's qualifying were likely to show the silver cars remain in a class of their own.

Analysis of preseason lap times suggested Mercedes was around a second a lap faster than its nearest rivals — a giant margin by F1 standards — and driver Nico Rosberg did not bother trying to play down his team's advantage when asked Thursday about the preparations for the new season.

Bayern Munich cruised into the quarterfinals of the Champions League after a 7-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk with the visitors losing a defender to the fastest red card in the competition's history.

Thomas Mueller notched two goals, while Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery, Holger Badstuber, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Goetze added one apiece as the German champions matched its biggest home win.

Chris Paul had 33 points and nine assists, and J.J. Redick added 25 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat Oklahoma City 120-108 on Wednesday, ending the Thunder's seven-game home winning streak.

DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Clippers, who are fighting for a top-four seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Oklahoma City is battling to merely make the field and fell a half-game behind the New Orleans Pelicans in the race for the final playoff spot.

Uruguay forward Diego Forlan is retiring from international football, saying it's time for the next generation of players to make their mark for the national team.

The 35-year-old Forlan made the announcement in Osaka, where he is under contract with J-League side Cerezo Osaka. He is expected to retire when his current contract expires after this season.

Even after the dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Chelsea couldn't contain Paris Saint-Germain and never seized the initiative at Stamford Bridge.

And if anything, the French champions were even more tenacious with ten men from the 31st minute on Wednesday. Chelsea was humbled and PSG was rewarded with a place in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Several hundred people from the French sporting world paid an emotional tribute on Wednesday to three of the country's best-known stars who were among 10 killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina.

Pictures of the trio, covered with flowers, were laid out at the National Institute of Sport and Physical Education (INSEP), France's leading sports institute, whose head said it was like a "death in the family."

Real Madrid may have made the last eight of the Champions League for a fifth consecutive season, but their Bernabeu faithful also reached the end of their patience after a humiliating 4-3 home defeat to Schalke on Tuesday.

The reigning champions sneaked through 5-4 on aggregate thanks to their 2-0 success in Gelsenkirchen three weeks ago.

Even without his trademark headband, LeBron James had 27 points and took over sole possession of the Cavaliers' career assists record as Cleveland beat the Dallas Mavericks 127-94 on Tuesday.

James was one of four players with more than 20 points for the Central Division-leading Cavaliers, who have won 12 of their last 13 games against Western Conference opponents and broke a 14-game losing streak in Texas.

An Australian state court has potentially cleared the way for Formula One driver Giedo van der Garde to compete in this weekend's season-opening Grand Prix in Melbourne after his legal challenge against Sauber was ruled successful, although the racing team has appealed the decision.

The Dutch driver was challenging to get a spot in Sunday's race with Swiss F1 team Sauber, which replaced him as a driver late last year.