Bernie Ecclestone: F1's puppet master holds on to power

very time Bernie Ecclestone has been under threat, he has typically reverted to humor.

After the Formula One supremo was robbed and knocked unconscious by muggers, who got away with his luxury watch,  with the slogan "See what people will do for a Hublot."

And in August 2014, when he escaped a possible 10-year jail term over bribery charges by paying a $100 million fine to German authorities to end the trial early, his .

The character stated: "This is not a robbery. I am collecting for the Bavarian state."

For months, rumors have circulated that the 85-year-old's stranglehold on the sport was splintering, but it is telling that there has been little to no reversion to humor during that time -- perhaps a sign of how confident he was of winning the power struggle.

Amid such speculation, F1's great survivor remains in charge. The elite motorsport's new owner , has announced that Ecclestone will be CEO for another three years.

It continues his remarkable four-decade run at the helm of one of the world's most globally watched sports -- F1 claims only the Olympics and football's World Cup have bigger audiences.

Regardless of how the coming months play out, how has he managed to hold on to power so long despite an ever-changing list of owners over recent decades?

Two-time grand prix winner Johnny Herbert recalls first rubbing shoulders with Ecclestone in his debut season in F1, driving for the Benetton team in 1989.

"Sir Stirling Moss had it spot on the other day when he said F1 needs a dictator," Herbert told CNN. "That's Bernie to a 'T.'

"People talk about him being the great survivor and of his longevity in the sport, and in some ways that's remarkable, but I don't know how realistic it was the many times when it was claimed his tenure at the top of the sport was over.

"If anything, that was simply stirred up by people with an ax to grind against him."

Hockey World Cup: Canada continues domination over Team USA with win

Although the US dominated the medal count at the Rio Olympics -- winning golds in everything from basketball to boxing to BMX -- it still can't compete with Canada when it comes to hockey. Team USA lost 4-2 to its northern neighbors in Toronto Tuesday, dashing medal hopes at the newly revamped World Cup of Hockey after just two games

The Americans took the lead early on with a Ryan McDonagh goal, but could only hold it for a minute and a half before Canada rocked back with two goals in just 14 seconds.

The flurry, started by Matt Duchene and followed up by Corey Perry, sapped the life out of Team USA -- which has also fallen to Canada in the previous two Olympics.

Duchene would score one more, along with teammate Patrice Bergeron before the night was over.

"It's disappointing, frustrating...a whole sea of emotions," said much maligned Team USA coach John Tortorella to reporters after the 4-2 loss. "I think we let some people down, it's on my watch, I certainly feel responsible for that."

Tortorella's team selection had been questioned before the tournament even started, with prolific NHL scorer Phil Kessel one of a few notable exceptions left off the roster. after the game, remarking "Just sitting around the house tonight (with) my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it."

The US previously lost to the lightly regarded Team Europe 2-0 and will play the Czech Republic in a meaningless game Thursday. NHL scoring champion Patrick Kane went goalless in both games.

Canada and Team Europe will meet in one semifinal, while Sweden and Russia will contest the other.

Real Madrid: Zinedine Zidane's side misses chance to set new La Liga record

Real Madrid missed the chance to set a new La Liga record of 17 consecutive league wins after drawing with Villarreal.

Zinedine Zidane's men had equaled the previous best of 16, set by Barcelona, in their previous match against Espanyol, but a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu Wednesday put an end to its hopes of extending that run.

The draw puts Real two points clear of Sevilla at the top of La Liga, after Barcelona drew with Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp to remain three points behind.

"We did not start the game well," Zidane told Real Madrid TV. "The second half we had many chances, but you cannot always win in the last minute.

"More work is needed at the beginning of the game. It's a shame not to break the record.

"I want a draw (between Barcelona and Atletico), so we will all stay same. But really I'm not worried about that result, just my team."

While Real has become synonymous with individual Galacticos over the years, coach Zinedine Zidane has demanded a collective team effort, ordering his players to "run more" in the wake of a defeat to its Madrid rival Atletico -- the last match before the 16-game streak began.

Attacking flair has often been quelled with the Frenchman favoring a more pragmatic approach, as the hard-working defensive midfielder Casemiro has provided balance to a sometimes top-heavy team.

This new work ethic was evident in the opening 45 minutes against Villarreal. The visiting team, understandably, adopted a reserved approach with unwavering commitment to its defensive duties.

But Real matched its opponents stride for stride.

The home side, unsurprisingly, started the match on the front foot, bombarding the Villarreal defense with corner after corner, but the 'Yellow Submarine' stood firm to ride out the wave of early pressure.

The game's first real chance came just shy of the 20-minute mark. Marcelo's deep cross into the box was headed back across goal by Gareth Bale, but keeper Sergio Asenjo was on hand to acrobatically deny Karim Benzema.

Just under 10 minutes later, Villarreal had its first sight of goal. Forward Denis Cheryshev latched onto the end of a deft flick from Samu Castillejo, before firing towards the top corner, only to find the outstretched palm of Kiko Casilla in his way.

Singapore GP: Nico Rosberg wins to take charge in F1 title race

Nico Rosberg held off a charging Daniel Ricciardo for a thrilling victory in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix to reclaim the lead in the Formula One title race.

With Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing third, Rosberg has built an eight-point lead as he bids for his first world championship crown.

Red Bull's Ricciardo, gambling on a late pit stop for super soft tires, made massive inroads into Rosberg's lead in the closing laps, but ran out of road in the 61-lap night race, finishing just four-tenths of a second behind.

Hamilton, who started third on the grid behind the leading two, was never a factor and only a clever piece of late race strategy by his pit crew saw him overtake Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen for the final podium spot.

Sebastian Vettel, who won the race for the fourth time last year, battled from the back of the grid to claim fifth behind his Ferrari teammate, with teenager Max Verstappen sixth for Red Bull.

It was German Rosberg's 22nd career victory in his 200th F1 race and certainly one of his hardest fought, with both Mercedes also battling brake problems on the Marina Bay street circuit, which takes a heavy toll on man and machinery.

"The whole car was on the edge, it always is in Singapore. It's all the more satisfying with a race like that," Rosberg said at the podium presentations.

He had made a good start from pole, but the race was almost immediately halted behind a safety car after an early collision between Force India's Nico Hulkenberg and Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz.

When the safety car pulled off, a trackside marshal had a close shave -- needing to run off with the cars going full pelt.

Davis Cup: Leonardo Mayer heroics knock out defending champion GB

A victory forged by Juan Martin del Potro's heroics against Andy Murray in the first rubber was ultimately sealed by Leonardo Mayer as Argentina knocked out holder Great Britain to reach the Davis Cup final Sunday.

Mayer stepped in for the exhausted del Potro for the fifth and deciding match of the tie against Dan Evans, with the teams tied at two wins apiece.

Despite falling behind to Evans, the 29-year-old Argentinian recovered to win 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4, justifying the decision of team captain Daniel Orsanic to field him ahead of the Olympic silver medalist.

Evans was also playing his first rubber of the tie, replacing Kyle Edmund for the reverse singles, but could not match the inspired play of his opponent, who has an 11-3 record in Davis Cup matches.

The enthusiastic crowd in Glasgow had been in optimistic mood after Murray, beaten by del Potro in a five-set and five-hour-plus classic Friday, showed his fighting quality with a straight-sets win over Guide Pella to level the score at 2-2.

Murray, the Wimbledon champion and Olympic singles gold medalist, had also paired with brother Jamie to win Saturday's doubles, seeing off del Potro and Mayer in four sets.