MELBOURNE, Australia - Mercedes confirmed its status as favourite to win the Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix by setting the fastest two times in Fridays practice sessions, with Lewis Hamilton edging his teammate Nico Rosberg. Philip Rivers Elite Jersey . Hamilton failed to complete a lap in the opening practice session due to a malfunctioning oil pressure sensor that shut down his engine, but recovered to set a time of 1 minute 29.625 seconds in the second session around the Albert Park circuit, 0.157 seconds ahead of Rosberg. "That was quite satisfying. On one lap the pace was good, and on the long run, as well," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. He added, however, that Hamiltons early problem meant there is still cause for concern. "You need to be very careful because its enough to have a little problem and the race or qualifying could be finished." Fernando Alonso of Ferrari was fastest in the first session but dropped to third in the second, half a second off Hamiltons time. Kimi Raikkonen was only seventh fastest in his return to the Italian team after suffering some problems, including failing to select first gear when trying a practice start. "Were still not on top of all the things we need to resolve," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said. "The negative sides have to be addressed very quickly because the competition is strong and the time available is not very much." The gaps at the top of the timesheets were reasonably close, which points toward a competitive qualifying session on Saturday and race on Sunday, rather than the Mercedes dominance that many had predicted. Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel was tipped to struggle in his campaign for a fifth straight drivers championship due to his teams preseason struggles with Renaults new V6 turbo engine, but he put in an encouraging performance to finish fourth fastest in practice. Vettel and new teammate Daniel Ricciardo — who was sixth fastest — completed a total of 115 laps, which will provide valuable data on the car and engines performance. "Its been a very strong first day for us," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "Weve had a very difficult preseason with numerous issues so it was refreshing to get some laps in and get a first proper feel for the car. "We can see there is quite a gap to the Mercedes and the Ferrari, but we are starting to feel what that gap is and by the end of the weekend we will have a clearer idea." By contrast, fellow Renault-powered teams Lotus and Caterham did very little running due to a succession of technical problems, coupled with some spins into the gravel traps by Lotus drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. There has been concern that these two teams, and perhaps others, will sit out Saturdays final practice session to avoid encountering a problem that takes a long time to fix — as many do with these new complex engines — and therefore having to miss both qualifying and the race. Renault deputy managing director Rob White admitted the company was way behind schedule in integrating the complex new powertrains to its four customer teams. "Its completely unacceptable to come to the first race as relatively unprepared as we are," White said. McLaren driver Jenson Button was fifth fastest in Fridays practice, while his rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen was ninth. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was eighth, four places above his experienced new teammate Felipe Massa in 12th. Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten. Nick Novak Jersey . The import DB was taken to a nearby hospital after catching his head awkwardly trying to tackle Winnipeg running back Will Ford in the first quarter of the game at the Rogers Centre. Donald Butler Jersey . Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday.CALGARY -- Dave Dickenson is staying in Calgary, signing a three-year contract with the Stampeders to serve as the CFL teams offensive co-ordinator and assistant head coach. Dickenson has run Calgarys offence for the past three seasons, helping the Stampeders lead the CFL with 1,595 points scored over that span. In 2013, Calgary led the league with 549 points scored with an offence featuring rushing champion and most outstanding player Jon Cornish of New Westminster, B.C. Additionally, Calgary allowed the fewest sacks in the CFL and saw three different quarterbacks earn victories as starters. While Dickenson was in the conversation for head coach vacancies in Edmonton and Winnipeg, he will remain with the city where he has spent the bulk of his time in the CFL. With the job of assistant head coach now part of his duties, he will continue to work closely with Stampeders head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. "Im very happy to be back," Dickenson said. "It was a commitment to me that the club came to me and asked what my future was going to be and I really wanted to be here. I didnt want to move. The other oppportunities to me werent exciting. Malcom Floyd Womens Jersey. This is the place I wanted to be and my family wants to be. The organization to me is top notch." Dickensons association with the Stampeders started in 1996 when he joined the team as a quarterback. He played four seasons in Calgary, winning the 2000 most outstanding player before trying to break into the NFL. He returned to the CFL in 2003 and played five seasons with the B.C. Lions, where he led them to a championship in 2006 and was named Grey Cup MVP. He returned to Calgary for a final season in 2008, serving as a backup to Henry Burris, before retiring and joining the Stamps as a running backs coach. He finished his playing career with three Grey Cup rings. "To secure Daves appointment here is a big step in the continuance of the Calgary Stampeders being a good football team and hopefully becoming a great football team in the very near future," Hufnagel said. "Ive really enjoyed Daves growth since hes become a football coach and with what he and his staff have accomplished since he became an offensive co-ordinator has been excellent work." ' ' '
