MELBOURNE, March 18 (Reuters) – Sebastian Vettel started his campaign to win four successive world titles with third place at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix but the German thinks the season-opener race will prove to be an anomaly over the course of the year.

The 25-year-old showed the raw pace of his Red Bull had not gone away when he took his 37th pole position in a qualifying session delayed by heavy rain on Sunday morning but later was convincingly beaten in the race by Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Nico Hulkenberg’s run of bad luck at the Australian Grand Prix continued on Sunday when he was unable to even make it onto the grid for the start of the race after his Sauber developed a fuel system problem.

The German, who had qualified 11th, was making his final preparations for his debut for his new team in his 40th race when the fault was identified and it was deemed too dangerous for him to start.

MELBOURNE, March 17 (Reuters) – Nico Hulkenberg’s run of bad luck at the Australian Grand Prix continued on Sunday when he was unable to even make it onto the grid for the start of the race after his Sauber developed a fuel system problem.

The German, who had qualified 11th, was making his final preparations for his debut for his new team in his 40th race when the fault was identified and it was deemed too dangerous for him to start.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – McLaren are not ruling out bringing back their 2012 car after a miserable start to the season at the Australian Grand Prix where Jenson Button had to use all his experience to scrap for a couple of points.

Button, a winner at Albert Park in three of the last four years, ended up ninth on Sunday while his new Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was unable to get into the final shootout in qualifying and crossed the line in 11th.

MELBOURNE, March 17 (Reuters) – McLaren are not ruling out bringing back their 2012 car after a miserable start to the season at the Australian Grand Prix where Jenson Button had to use all his experience to scrap for a couple of points.

Button, a winner at Albert Park in three of the last four years, ended up ninth on Sunday while his new Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was unable to get into the final shootout in qualifying and crossed the line in 11th.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Kimi Raikkonen gave Lotus a dream start to the Formula One season on Sunday with a winning strategy carried out to perfection in the Australian Grand Prix.

The 2007 world champion’s victory was the second of a comeback that started last season and his second in Melbourne since his triumph with Ferrari in the year of his championship success.

MELBOURNE, March 17 (Reuters) – Kimi Raikkonen gave Lotus a dream start to the Formula One season on Sunday with a winning strategy carried out to perfection in the Australian Grand Prix.

The 2007 world champion’s victory was the second of a comeback that started last season and his second in Melbourne since his triumph with Ferrari in the year of his championship success.

MELBOURNE, March 17 (Reuters) – Kimi Raikkonen drove a brilliant race to win the Australian Grand Prix for Lotus on Sunday as the new Formula One season opened with an absolute thriller at Albert Park.

Finland’s 2007 world champion rode to victory on a two-stop strategy and crossed the line 12.4 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Kimi Raikkonen drove a brilliant race to win the Australian Grand Prix for Lotus on Sunday as the new Formula One season opened with an absolute thriller at Albert Park.

Finland’s 2007 world champion rode to victory on a two-stop strategy and crossed the line 12.4 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso with triple world champion Sebastian Vettel rounding out the podium in third place for Red Bull.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World champion Sebastian Vettel will start the Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole position on an all-Red Bull front row later on Sunday after posting the fastest time in the rain-delayed qualifying session.

The German, chasing a fourth successive world title this year, swept across the line in one minute 27.407 seconds to clinch his 37th pole as the flag dropped on the session, which was postponed from Saturday because of torrential rain.