Sebastian Vettel wins F1 Australian GP

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel made an ideal start to his Formula One title defense, driving a flawless race to outpace McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Starting from pole position, Vettel maintained his lead off the start, sped away and was never seriously threatened. Hamilton's chances of launching a pursuit were hampered by a damaged floor on his car and he had to settle for second, 22 seconds behind the German.

"The car was quick but also reliable and that is the key," Vettel said. "Its the first time I have finished the Australian GP as well, so I am very, very happy."

Renault's Vitaly Petrov was a surprise third, claiming his first ever podium finish with a strong drive.

"To be honest I can't believe I'm sitting with these guys," Petrov said at the post-race media conference.

Vettel, who drove a two-stop strategy on the new Pirelli tires, made his first pit to change to fresh rubber on the 14th lap, importantly emerging in third ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button. Vettel was back in the lead after Hamilton and Petrov pitted two laps later, and he retained a comfortable buffer from then on.

"With Lewis dropping off later in the race, there was no pressure, so I was able to control it," Vettel said.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished fourth, while Australian Mark Webber was fifth, as both used three-stop strategies - one more than the podium finishers.

"Here at Albert Park it seems I have a season ticket for fourth place," Alonso said. "It's the third time in four years I've finished the race in this position."

Button was sixth, falling short in his bid to win the race for a third straight year. He had to do a drive-through penalty after using a slip road to pass Ferrari's Felipe Massa after a dogfight between the pair in the early part of the race, and that cost him a shot at third.

"I tried to overtake him around the outside of Turn 11. I was in front before we turned in, but he went really deep into the corner and pushed me wide so that I couldn't take my normal line," Button said. "After my drive-through penalty I had to fight my way back, which was fun but also frustrating."

Mexican rookie Sergio Perez's dream debut was spoiled when he and teammate Kamui Kobayashi were disqualified after post-race scrutineering found their Sauber cars breached technical regulations. Race stewards found the Saubers breached articles 3.10.1 and 3.10.2 relating to the shape and curvature of the cars' wings.

Sauber announced its intention to appeal that decision to the FIA, motor sport's governing body.

Perez had finished an impressive seventh in his first grand prix after pitting just once, while Kobayashi had come eighth.

Their exclusion moved Massa to seventh place -lifting Ferrari above Renault in the teams' standings - Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi to eighth, while Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta of Force India found themselves in the points at ninth and 10th.

There were mixed emotions in the Red Bull garage, with Vettel's euphoria offset by Webber's ongoing failure to show his best at his home race. It is the third time he has finished fifth, never improving on the remarkable performance in the struggling Minardi car at his first attempt in 2002.

"I wish it was already tomorrow, it was frustrating," Webber said. "I wanted to get more out of it and we could have got more out of it."

It was a bad day for Mercedes, with both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg forced to retire.

"I had a good start, made up quite a few positions, then had a good run into turn three, but as I turned in someone (Jaime Alguersuari) knocked on to my right rear," Schumacher said. "The consequence was I had a puncture which destroyed the right tire, and driving back to the pits basically destroyed the right floor. In the end the team decided for safety it wasn't worth staying out."

Hamilton also damaged the floor of his car when he went wide on turn one of his 32nd lap, or perhaps shortly beforehand. He continued on even though he said after the race the floor was "massively damaged" and occasionally touching the ground.

"When it touches the ground it stalls the underneath of the car and disturbs a lot of the flow," he said. "I was having some oversteer moments, some stalling through corners and underbraking particularly."

It was a creditable performance by McLaren, who were expected to be off the pace early in the season after a difficult offseason.

"We can take this and be very proud of ourselves," Hamilton said. "A week or two ago we weren't expecting to be anywhere near the top five, so to come to second is a great achievement."

Petrov's mature performance was impressive and would give a boost to a Renault team who lost No.1 driver Robert Kubica to serious injury after a rally crash during the offseason.

"In the race the team did everything perfectly," Petrov said. "We can be very proud of what we have achieved."

Rosberg was forced to retire shortly after colliding with Williams' Rubens Barrichello on the 24th lap. Barrichello was handed a drive-through penalty for causing the crash.

Vettel wins season-opening F1 Australian GP

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel opened his Formula One title defense by driving a flawless race and beating McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to win the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Starting from the pole, Vettel maintained his lead after the first turn and had already opened a gap of more than 2 seconds over Hamilton following the first lap and the German's lead was never seriously threatened.

Vettel, who employed a two-stop strategy on the new Pirelli tires, made his first pit stop to change to softer rubber in the 14th lap, emerging in third place ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button. He regained the lead two laps later when Hamilton made a tire change and never looked back, winning by more than 22 seconds.

"Very cool," he radioed to his team after taking the checkered flag. "Excellent car. Excellent stops."

The 23-year-old Vettel became the youngest F1 champion last year, finishing third in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP to edge Fernando Alonso by four points.

"The car was quick but also reliable and that is the key," Vettel said. "It's the first time I have finished the Australian GP as well, so I am very, very happy."

"With Lewis dropping off later in the race, there was no pressure, so I was able to control it," Vettel added.

Renault's Vitaly Petrov was a surprise third, claiming his first podium finish with a strong showing.

"To be honest I can't believe I'm sitting with these guys," Petrov said.

Alonso finished fourth, while Australian Mark Webber was fifth, as both used three-stop strategies - one more than the podium finishers.

"Here at Albert Park it seems I have a season ticket for fourth place," Alonso said. "It's the third time in four years I've finished the race in this position."

That led to mixed emotions in the Red Bull garage as Vettel's euphoria was offset by Webber's ongoing failure to shine at his home race. It is the third time he has finished fifth.

"I wish it was already tomorrow, it was frustrating," Webber said. "I wanted to get more out of it and we could have got more out of it."

Button was sixth, falling short in his bid to win the race for a third straight year. He had to make a drive-through penalty after using a slip road to pass Ferrari's Felipe Massa after the two battled in the early part of the race, and that cost him a shot at third.

"I tried to overtake him around the outside of Turn 11. I was in front before we turned in, but he went really deep into the corner and pushed me wide so that I couldn't take my normal line," Button said. "After my drive-through penalty I had to fight my way back, which was fun but also frustrating."

Mexican rookie Sergio Perez's dream debut was spoiled when he and Sauber teammate Kamui Kobayashi were disqualified after post-race inspections found their cars violated technical regulations relating to the shape and curvature of the cars' wings.

Perez had finished an impressive seventh in his first grand prix after pitting just once, while Kobayashi was eighth.

Sauber announced its intention to appeal that decision to the FIA, motor sport's governing body.

Their exclusion moved Massa to seventh place -lifting Ferrari above Renault in the teams' standings - Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi to eighth, while Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta of Force India found themselves in the points at ninth and 10th.

It was a bad day for Mercedes, with both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg not finishing.

"I had a good start, made up quite a few positions, then had a good run into turn three, but as I turned in, someone (Jaime Alguersuari) knocked on to my right rear," Schumacher said. "The consequence was I had a puncture which destroyed the right tire, and driving back to the pits basically destroyed the right floor. In the end the team decided for safety it wasn't worth staying out."

Hamilton also damaged his floor when he went wide on turn one of his 32nd lap, or perhaps shortly beforehand. He continued even though he said after the race the floor was "massively damaged."

"When it touches the ground it stalls the underneath of the car and disturbs a lot of the flow," he said. "I was having some oversteer moments, some stalling through corners and underbraking particularly."

Even still, it was a credible performance by McLaren, which was expected to be off the pace early after a difficult offseason.

"We can take this and be very proud of ourselves," Hamilton said. "A week or two ago we were not expecting to be anywhere near the top five."

Petrov's performance was impressive and would give a boost to a Renault team that lost No.1 driver Robert Kubica to serious injury after a rally crash during the offseason.

"In the race the team did everything perfectly," Petrov said. "We can be very proud of what we have achieved."

Rosberg was forced to retire shortly after colliding with Williams' Rubens Barrichello on the 24th lap. Barrichello was handed a drive-through penalty for causing the crash.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally scheduled to open the season March 13. It was canceled last month by Bahrain's Crown Prince after anti-government protests. FIA's World Motor Sport Council has given Bahrain's federation until May 1 to decide if a new date can be set this year.

The next race will be the Malaysian GP on April 10.

Borussia Dortmund plays Hannover after setbacks

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) With only one point from its last two matches, Borussia Dortmund has seen its once massive Bundesliga lead cut to seven points.

Dortmund will be looking nervously over its shoulder at approaching Bayer Leverkusen when it hosts Hannover, which is enjoying its best season and has lost only one of its last seven games in Dortmund.

Hannover is looking to hold on to third place, which secures a slot in qualifying for the Champions League, ahead of defending champion Bayern Munich.

Leverkusen travels to relegation-threatened Kaiserslautern, also Saturday.

Dortmund defender Neven Subotic, cleared to play after picking up a foot injury on international duty for Serbia, is not worried about his team losing pace.

"Even when we haven't played that well this year, we were at least even or slightly better than the opponent," Subotic said. "We were unfortunate in some recent games."

Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said there were "certain things that we didn't do right" but that he wasn't nervous.

"I am sure that we've found the right response," Klopp said.

Hannover lost at home to Dortmund 4-0 but the team that narrowly escaped relegation last season could make this ending interesting again if it manages to upset the leaders. There are seven games left.

"That would be nice for the fans but we really want the points for ourselves," Hannover defender Christian Schulz said. "It's a top game and we've worked for it."

Hannover is two points ahead of Bayern Munich, which is also trying to reach a Champions League slot and hosts last-place Borussia Moenchengladbach.

"This match is a great challenge," Hannover coach Mirko Slomka said. "We want to defend our position."

Hannover has been one of the success stories this season and Slomka said a change in attitude is responsible for the turnaround.

"Last season we only reacted and looked out for what the opponents were doing. Now we have our own strategy and we are capable of implementing it," Slomka said. "We don't allow many chances and we are good in the air."

Schulz said the team has become much more stable.

"We are difficult to beat," he said.

Leverkusen plays its first match since coach Jupp Heynckes announced that he would be leaving at the end of the season to take over at Bayern.

Heynckes is in a strange situation - trying to deny his future club of a place in the Champions League.

"I want to take the club (Leverkusen) directly into the Champions League," Heynckes said.

Leverkusen can mathematically still win the title, but it's second place that is their goal at the moment.

"We have to keep Hannover and Bayern behind us," Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling said. "That's our job. What happens with Dortmund is outside our control."

Bayern will be without central defender Daniel van Buyten, who injured his right hamstring while playing for Belgium. But winger Arjen Robben is back from a similar injury.

Two coaches will be making their debuts at new clubs at this late stage of the season - Ralf Rangnick in his return to Schalke and Christoph Daum at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Schalke kicks off the round Friday at St. Pauli. Eintracht visits Wolfsburg on Sunday, with both clubs battling against relegation. Wolfsburg, the 2009 champion, recently hired Felix Magath after his firing from Schalke.

Also Saturday, Werder Bremen hosts Stuttgart, Mainz plays Freiburg and Hoffenheim meets Hamburger SV, while Nuremberg visits Cologne on Sunday.

Barcelona, Madrid wait on Messi, Ronaldo injuries

MADRID (AP) Barcelona and Real Madrid head into Saturday's Spanish league matches waiting on injury worries to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona travels to third-place Villarreal with a five-point lead over Madrid but with Messi nursing a minor right leg problem that was discounted as serious by medical scans taken Thursday.

"The good news is that he has no muscle injury, though he will have physiotherapy until Saturday, when a decision will be made on his availability for the La Liga game against Villarreal," the club said on its website.

The Argentina forward isn't the only player in danger of missing out on what could prove to be a decisive game in the league title race. Barcelona and Madrid meet on April 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, with Madrid hoping to cut the points deficit before then.

"I spoke with Messi and he has a good feeling about it," Barcelona backup goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto said Thursday. "He feels good despite the small problem he's suffering from."

Defenders Carles Puyol and Maxwell as well as forwards Pedro Rodriguez and Bojan Krkic are recovering from injuries that risk leaving the Catalans without a full squad at El Madrigal stadium. Midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez is also out due to suspension, while Eric Abidal continues to recuperate after an operation to remove a liver tumor.

Villarreal is on target for a record number of points in a season but Madrid's hopes it can snatch all three from the two-time defending champions could be wishful considering Barcelona is unbeaten on the road this campaign. It can set a club record 27th straight league game without defeat at Villarreal, after matching the original mark from 1974.

"We'll have to pretty much play perfectly to have a chance of beating them," Villarreal and Spain forward Santi Cazorla said. "Xavi and Puyol's absences are notable but they have enough players to fill in.

"I prefer to play against Messi because you always enjoy playing against great players. I just hope he doesn't have a typical day against us."

Villarreal is battling Valencia for third and the last automatic Champions League qualifying spot. The pair are tied on points, with Valencia at Getafe on Saturday.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, continues to be bothered by a lower left leg injury and Madrid coach Jose Mourinho may not risk the Portugal forward against Sporting Gijon with a Champions League match against Tottenham coming up on Tuesday.

Madrid is also likely to be without Karim Benzema, which leaves Emmanuel Adebayor as the most likely starting striker even though Gonzalo Higuain could make his return from injury. Argentina striker Higuain has been recovering from back surgery and is unlikely to be available for a full 90 minutes, after being sidelined since November.

Madrid will honor former player and recently retired Brazil striker Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu.

New Hercules coach Miroslaw Djukic makes his debut in Sunday's game at Real Sociedad after the last-place club fired Esteban Vigo on March 20. Hercules - the only team to beat Barcelona this season - hasn't scored an away goal in 11 matches and has lost nine of 11 to sit four points from safety with nine rounds to play.

The 30th round of games are being played as originally scheduled after a Madrid judge squashed a potential matchday work stoppage on Wednesday.

In Sunday's other games, it's: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Mallorca; Espanyol vs. Racing Santander; Levante vs. Malaga; Sevilla vs. Zaragoza; and Osasuna vs. Atletico Madrid.

On Monday, Almeria hosts sixth-place Athletic Bilbao.

Title race resumes as Man United visits West Ham

LONDON (AP) Premier League leader Manchester United resumes its bid for a record 19th English title by returning to the scene of its heaviest defeat this season.

United was routed 4-0 by West Ham in the quarterfinals of the League Cup in November, one of only four defeats inflicted on the northwest team this entire campaign.

Alex Ferguson's side returns to Upton Park on Saturday having arrested its recent slide and with captain and defensive rock Nemanja Vidic available again after a calf problem.

United still has injury problems to contend with at the back as it looks to consolidate a five-point lead over second-place Arsenal, which has a game in hand and hosts struggling Blackburn on Saturday.

Defenders Rio Ferdinand, Rafael da Silva, Jonny Evans and John O'Shea are all out, making United's bid to emulate its treble-winning exploits of 1999 all the more harder.

"It is going to be more difficult than it was in 1999," Ferguson said. "We didn't have the injuries we do now.

"There is a great desire to do it but we have so many injuries to defenders at present. We will never give in, though. No matter what happens, you always feel Manchester United will score in the last minute. We must have a chance (of winning the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup) but it is more difficult than it has ever been."

Three defeats - to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea and Liverpool - in a five-game span in the league for United has brought Arsenal back in the title race.

Even reigning champion Chelsea, which is over its midseason slump and hasn't been defeated since Feb. 6, could yet catch the top two. The London team is four points behind Arsenal in third.

Chelsea visits midtable Stoke on Saturday, with Spain striker Fernando Torres still searching for his first goal for the club since his move from Liverpool on Jan. 31 for 50 million pounds ($81 million).

Arsenal, which has let United off the hook by drawing its last two league matches, could give a second debut to 41-year-old goalkeeper Jens Lehmann at Emirates Stadium this weekend.

The former Germany international came out of retirement to rejoin the Gunners this month and played 90 minutes for the reserves on Tuesday. With current No. 1 Manuel Almunia under the microscope after making a mistake that led to one of West Bromwich Albion's goals in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal last time out, Lehmann could be handed the goalkeeper jersey.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said star striker Robin van Persie should be fit despite returning from international duty with the Netherlands with a bruised knee.

With Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, Theo Walcott and Abou Diaby all available again after injury problems, Wenger's squad suddenly looks in good shape for the run-in.

Fourth-place Manchester City is at home to Sunderland and Tottenham, which is fifth and four points behind City with a game in hand, visits bottom side Wigan.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish could welcome back captain Steven Gerrard after almost a month out with a groin injury when his sixth-place team plays West Brom away.

"I'm hoping to be in full training on Thursday and available for selection for the weekend," Gerrard said. "It's up to Kenny whether he thinks I'm ready or not."

Liverpool is four points behind Tottenham and five points further back is Bolton, which is away to second-bottom Birmingham on Saturday. Other games that day see Everton host Aston Villa and Wolves go to Newcastle.

Fulham is at home to Blackpool in Sunday's other match.

There are only six points separating 11th-place Newcastle with Wigan in a congested lower half of the table.

Milan derby highlights big Serie A weekend

ROME (AP) The Milan derby on Saturday could potentially decide which side wins Serie A, and that's not the only big game in Italy this weekend.

Third-place Napoli, which is also still in the title hunt, faces fifth-place Lazio and sixth-place Roma hosts seventh-place Juventus in a matchup of two clubs desperate to get back into the Champions League.

To top it all off, there's also the always heated Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

Still, it's the match at the San Siro that counts the most.

AC Milan holds a two-point lead over Inter Milan but is without suspended striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Boosted by its come-from-behind win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Inter is on a roll and aiming to take the lead from its city rival.

It's a big turnaround from just a few months ago. When Leonardo was hired to replace Rafa Benitez as Inter's manager during the winter break, Inter trailed Milan by 13 points.

"Entering the derby two points behind was one mission, and now we're starting a new mission," Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic said. "The derby can change an entire season, it gives us a chance to gain back something that was impossible three months ago."

Milan is on a three-match winless streak, having followed its elimination from the Champions League by Tottenham with a draw against Bari and a loss in Palermo.

"This derby is important but it's not decisive, because afterward there will still be seven matches with 21 points up for grabs," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. "Whoever wins will have an advantage - it will be a significant lead if we win, a little less so if Inter does because they would go in front by just one point. But there's also still Napoli and Udinese."

Milan leads the league with 62 points, followed by Inter with 60, Napoli with 59 and Udinese with 56.

As Galliani pointed out, Inter plays its penultimate match at Napoli and Milan finishes the season at Udinese.

"The season is going to be decided at the finish," Galliani said.

Ibrahimovic's ban for punching Bari defender Marco Rossi in the stomach was reduced from three to two matches, but he's still out this weekend, leaving the attack to Brazilian teammates Alexandre Pato and Robinho, plus Italy international Antonio Cassano. Andrea Pirlo is still likely out in midfield due to a right knee injury.

Ibrahimovic scored when Milan beat Inter 1-0 in the season's opening derby in November.

For Leonardo, the derby will mark the first time he coaches against the team he managed last season and played with for five years.

Leonardo will also have to do without a key player, as defender Lucio is ruled out due to accumulated cards. Fellow center back Andrea Ranocchia appears ready to play again after getting released from Italy's training camp with a knee injury, although Cristian Chivu has a calf problem.

While Diego Milito could return from injury and gain a spot on the bench, Inter's attack should once again fall to Samuel Eto'o and Giampaolo Pazzini, who has scored six goals in 10 matches since transferring from Sampdoria in January.

Pazzini also scored three goals with Sampdoria against Milan over the past two years.

Inter midfielder Thiago Motta has also shown he's in form, scoring in Italy's 1-0 win over Slovenia in European Championship qualifying last week.

However, Inter might want to hold some of its players in reserve, with the opening leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Schalke slated for three days after the derby.

Meanwhile, Lazio coach Edy Reja will also be facing his former squad this weekend.

Reja guided Napoli for five seasons between 2005-09, leading Diego Maradona's former squad back up to Serie A from the third division.

Roma has a had a tumultuous week, dominated by negotiations for the sale of the club to a group of American investors led by Boston executive Thomas DiBenedetto, with the deal expected to be signed by mid-April.

Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero was being examined for a leg muscle injury that occurred during training Thursday, possibly leaving the Turin club's attack to Alessandro Matri and Luca Toni.

In addition, Juventus announced that center back Giorgio Chiellini will be out 30 days after tearing a muscle in his right leg during Italy's friendly in Ukraine on Tuesday.

Also this weekend, it's: Brescia vs. Bologna; Cesena vs. Fiorentina; Chievo Verona vs. Sampdoria; Genoa vs. Cagliari; Lecce vs. Udinese; and Parma vs. Bari

Polish hooligans worrying UEFA ahead of Euro 2012

MANCHESTER, England (AP) Hooliganism is causing a "huge image problem" for European Championship co-host Poland with every round of league matches marred by crowd trouble, a UEFA executive said on Wednesday.

Ahead of the influx of football fans in the country next year, Polish authorities have vowed to adopt a zero tolerance toward hooliganism.

But the ongoing struggle to eradicate violence among Polish fans was highlighted when they clashed with police in Lithuania around a friendly on Friday. About 60 Poles were detained for throwing bottles, flares and benches at police and security guards. One guard was injured.

"We are looking very carefully at the situation because there are many activities on the hooligan scene in Poland," said Martin Kallen, UEFA's Euro 2012 operations director, at the SoccerEx conference on Wednesday.

"What we saw at last Friday's match was not a very good picture to see that happening in a stadium."

Poland, which is co-hosting the tournament with Ukraine, has announced plans to use fast-track trials by video linkup during the tournament. Fans also have to be on a central database to buy tickets, part of a bid to deny potential troublemakers.

"On the hooligan side we are concerned, but I also know the Polish government is concerned," Kallen said. "They know they have a problem - they have a huge image problem. There are always hooligans around every match day in the league but the government is making the right steps for the future."

Marcin Herra, the head of the Polish organizing committee, said the "minority cannot spoil the event for the majority."

"The new legislation allows us to work much more precisely against those hooligans," Herra said. "There will be zero tolerance to make sure that 500 people cannot spoil the event for one million people."

Kallen doesn't expect the same troublesome supporters who disrupt Polish league matches to make it into Euro 2012 stadiums.

"Different people will be coming to matches - there will be more families," he said. "The Euro is a party and in many areas there is more a problem on a daily basis for club matches. But clearly we are facing some challenges."

Kallen also told the conference in Manchester that some of the pledges made by Poland and Ukraine about infrastructure developments would not be kept. With many new motorways and roads not ready, fans will have to take diversions to reach venues.