MELBOURNE, Australia - Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for Formula Ones season-opening Australian Grand Prix in a rainy qualifying session Saturday, while four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will start the race from 12th after being caught out by the wet conditions. Shaun Alexander Elite Jersey . Vettel was joined by fellow big-name drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button in dropping out of qualifying in the second session as they struggled on the wet surface at the Albert Park street circuit. While Vettel struck trouble, his new Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo thrived, qualifying second, three tenths of a second behind Hamiltons pole time. Ricciardo narrowly missed becoming the first Australian to take pole in his home race. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg qualified third, ahead of McLarens impressive debutant Kevin Magnussen, who put in a heady drive in tricky conditions, and Ferraris Fernando Alonso. Hamiltons pole position took him level on 32 career poles with British compatriot Nigel Mansell. "Today was so much harder for everyone in these conditions," Hamilton said. "These cars are a lot harder to drive in the wet and the first time for me driving this car in the rain. To be up here is a great showing for the team." Vettel had complained during the pre-qualifying practice session about the handling of the car, describing it as "horrible." The cars handling seemed to deteriorate even further during qualifying, with Vettel ending up 2.4 seconds off Ricciardos pace in the Q2 session. "I struggled with drivability," Vettel said. "We have lost that overnight, so we need to find out why that was." Raikkonen had lagged behind his Ferrari teammate Alonso through the race weekend as they embark on what should be a keen rivalry, and his qualifying ended when he crashed into a track wall after hitting a wet patch when accelerating away from a bend. McLarens Button was caught out by the yellow flags from the Raikkonen incident and qualified 11th. Button, Vettel and Raikkonen will all be promoted one spot on the grid because Williams Valtteri Bottas was given a five-place penalty for changing a gearbox. Ricciardo notched his career best in qualifying, bettering his fifth place at last years British Grand Prix. "Im really excited but at the same time still staying calm and collected because tomorrow is what counts, so theres no point in having a party tonight," he said. Rosbergs third position was less than he had hoped after topping the timesheets in pre-qualifying practice and in the Q1 session, but Mercedes had clearly been the fastest car over the weekend and he is still well positioned to fight for victory. "It could have been better but third was OK and we have a good racing car, so from third anything can happen," Rosberg said. Toro Rossos Jean-Eric Vergne qualified sixth in another career-best performance — beating his seventh position at Canada last year. Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg was seventh, followed by Toro Rossos 19-year-old debutant Daniil Kyvat in an impressive eighth and Williams Felipe Massa in ninth. Bottas qualified 10th but drops down because of the penalty. Sundays race is forecast to be dry, with only a small chance of rain. It will be a journey into the unknown for all teams as they get a first chance to see how their new V6 turbo hybrid engines and reconfigured aerodynamics perform over a two-hour race. Australia is among the highest fuel consumption races on the F1 calendar, and with fuel limits sliced to 100 kilograms this year compared to around 160 last year, Sundays race looms as a test of engine and fuel management more than an outright race. Kam Chancellor Elite Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Doug Baldwin Womens Jersey . -- Brian Dawkins biggest contribution Sunday in the AFC wild card playoffs will be with his talking and not his tackling.PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The New York Mets say an MRI on pitcher Jon Nieses ailing left shoulder did not show any major problems. Projected to be the Mets opening-day starter, Niese had been scratched from his opening exhibition start, against Houston next Tuesday, and replaced by Zack Wheeler. Mets manager Terry Collins says the club will have Niese back on the mound, "as soon as we can." "Theres no shoulder problems at all," Collins said Thursday. "Hes got some weakness in his scap (scapula) area that is minor. They think in a few days hell be back and ready to go. It was very, very good news." Niese was sent back to New York for the MRI on Wednesday after he complained of shoulder pain. Richard Sherman Womens Jersey. NOTES: Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard allowed one run and struck out five in two innings of work in Blue-Orange intrasquad game, which primarily featured the clubs minor league players. The Blue Team won 5-2. Dillon Gee allowed two runs and five hits and struck out two in 1 2-3 innings and took the loss. Gee said he felt good but was struggling to throw his slider and changeup for strikes. Andrew Brown and Danny Muno hit home runs. ... Tom Gamboa will manage the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets short-season A affiliate. Tom Signore will be the Cyclones pitching coach and Benny Distefano will serve as hitting coach. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' '
