MELBOURNE, Australia - Sebastian Vettel has a warning for those already writing off his chances of a fifth-consecutive Formula One title — the season is long and the teams current engine problems wont last. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . The Red Bull driver has experienced a troubled off-season, with the team severely restricted in its testing because engine supplier Renault suffered a myriad of problems trying to make the sports new six-cylinder turbo hybrid powertrain function in anything approaching a reliable fashion. While Vettel acknowledged that Mercedes will be the team to beat in this weekends season-opening race in Australia — and Red Bull will likely be off the pace in early races — he was adamant another title was within his reach, even if it was not in the imperious style of 2013 when he won the last nine races. "We are not in the best position for this race, but its a different story when you talk about the championship," Vettel said Thursday. Vettel did not have far to look for inspiration about how to overcome early-season difficulties as he was speaking while sitting beside Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who found himself in a similar predicament in 2012. "Two years back Fernando was on the grid with 1.5 seconds to pole, and very close to beating us for the title at the very last race, so anything can happen," Vettel said. "We are a strong team. We have a lot of good people on board with a lot of strong resources. We should progress as the season goes on." Red Bull was not alone in suffering severe problems in the off-season. While the ongoing troubles are expected to particularly afflict the Renault-powered cars in the early races, all teams will be anxious heading into this Fridays practice sessions. The new computer-controlled engines must balance the power supply between the combustion engine, turbo charger, and the battery-stored electric power — the role of which is vastly greater than in previous years. Added to that is the need to reduce fuel use by about a third on last year to meet new rules, understand the altered aerodynamics and get used to new tires. Little wonder that F1 officials have relaxed the curfew restricting how many hours engineers and crew can spend in pit lane working on the cars. Some bleak forecasters are even predicting there will not be enough finishers on Sunday to fill the ten points positions, and race director Charlie Whiting on Thursday was asked questions about the contingency plans if no cars are running. Simple answer - the race will be stopped. While such doomsday scenarios are very unlikely, there was a strong possibility of several cars not getting within seven per cent of the pole sitters qualifying time and therefore being excluded from the race. Stewards have always had some discretion to exempt teams from that rule and Whiting said that Melbournes stewards will look upon such scenarios in Melbourne "very sympathetically." The men considered most likely to vie for that that pole-sitting yardstick are the Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who, in contrast to most drivers, had enjoyed smooth and impressive testing sessions. The Mercedes drivers are old colleagues from their childhood days, and Hamilton said their friendship will not be tarnished if they end up fighting each other for race wins and perhaps even the championship as many expect. "It (the relationship) will be the same at the start as at the end," Hamilton said. "We have been racing together since we were 13. This is a stronger championship but I dont see any issues." Wholesale Jerseys For Sale . Jonathan Crompton led the team to a 40-9 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Crompton threw three touchdown passes - two to Duron Carter and one to Brandon London - and Sean Whyte connected on four field goals to power the Alouettes to the win. Fake Jerseys For Sale . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Cleveland Indians made their first visit this season to Angel Stadium and found an old friend in the closers role for the other team -- Joe Smith. The right-hander, who spent the previous five seasons with the Indians, got three outs in the ninth inning to preserve a 6-3 victory for Los Angeles on Monday night for his first save with the Angels. His role changed after a series of poor outings by Ernesto Frieri. "I dont think your attitude changes," Smith said. "I mean, if youre coming on in the seventh or eighth inning, the goal is the same: get out of the inning with a zero and hand the ball off to the next guy. Now, the goal is to get out of the inning with a zero and slap hands. It doesnt matter what inning Im throwing. I pitch people the same." Smith retired Carlos Santana on a foul pop behind the plate, then gave up a single to pinch-hitter David Murphy before retiring Michael Brantley on a fielders choice grounder and Asdrubal Cabrera on a line drove to centre field. "When hes on your team, hes easy to root for," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Im one of his biggest fans -- and I only had the opportunity to have him for one year. For the guys who were around him longer than that, I can see why they like him so much. Hes a pros pro. I remember a conversation I had with Smitty when he was going through free agency, and I remember telling him flat out: We want you back so bad. But if we dont get you back, I hope you break the bank." Smith, who signed a three-year, $15.75 million contract in November, was the setup man last year for the Tribe and got three saves along the way. "Joe could be successful anywhere they put him," Francona said. Fernando Salas (2-0) pitched a hitless eighth inning and got credit for the victory after the Angels broke a 3-all tie in the bottom half with an RBI single by Mike Trout and a two-run triple by Raul Ibanez against Justin Masterson (0-1). Masterson gave up six runs and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings after getting a no-decision in each of his first five starts. The right-hander hasnt posted a victory since beating the Angells 3-1 last Aug. Jerseys For Sale. 21 at the "Big A." Nick Swisher misplayed J.B. Shucks leadoff grounder to first base in the eighth for an error, and Erick Aybar bunted Shuck to second before Trout singled to left on a full-count pitch to snap a 3-all tie. Albert Pujols was walked intentionally in front of Ibanez, who capped the scoring with his triple to right-centre on Mastersons 113th and final pitch. Tyler Skaggs allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings and struck out six. The left-hander, staked to a 1-0 lead on Pujols RBI groundout in the first, retired his first 10 batters before giving up a double by Swisher, a walk to Jason Kipnis and Santanas second homer of the season into the left field bullpen. "Tyler hung a curveball to Santana, but other than that, he threw the ball awesome," Smith said. "If our starters go seven and give up three every time, thats great. Keep it rolling. It only makes it easier on us -- especially with this offence." Santana, the Indians switch-hitting third baseman, came in batting .122 over his first 24 games and was 3 for 22 with men in scoring position. But Francona said before the game that he wasnt ready to drop Santana out of the cleanup spot, where he has been in every game hes played. The Angels tied it in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by Aybar after Masterson issued a leadoff walk to Ian Stewart and a single by David Freese. Stewart started at third base while Freese was the designated hitter on his 31st birthday. The Indians, who had just gotten swept in a series at San Francisco, were 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position during that three-game set and totalled just five runs -- while their 4-5-6 hitters were a combined 0 for 29. NOTES: The Angels flight from New York didnt get in until 5:15 a.m. local time after a 3-2 loss at Yankee Stadium on Sunday that ended their 4-5 road trip. "I wish they played 20 innings," Francona said. ... Angels LF Josh Hamilton had his cast taken off Monday and is wearing a splint, the next step toward beginning his strength exercises and resuming baseball activities. ' ' '