MONTMELO, Spain -- Sebastian Vettels practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix ended with the four-time defending Formula One champion hitching a ride on a scooter after his Red Bull puttered out. Lewis Hamilton had no such problems, finishing Fridays opening day of practice with the top times from both training sessions as the dominating Mercedes team showed no signs of slowing down. The British driver is looking for his fourth straight win this season. Mercedes teammate and F1 leader Nico Rosberg was right behind, setting the afternoons second best time after his crew fixed a cooling issue. Vettel was running through his fifth lap on the sunny and dry 4.6-kilometre (2.9-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when his Red Bull came to a halt. He then helped push his RB10 out of the path of his rivals before a group of fans gathered at the fence to take photographs of the champion using a fire extinguisher on the rear of his malfunctioning car. After Vettel was whisked back to the paddock on the back of a scooter, Hamilton clocked the fastest lap time in the opening session and then bettered that by almost 1.5 seconds in the afternoon with a mark of 1 minute, 25.524 seconds. Red Bull said an electrical problem that "damaged the wiring" of Vettels car meant he couldnt return for the afternoon practice session. That left Vettel with only one session on Saturday before qualifying. "Its a small failure, but a big consequence," Vettel said. Red Bull had given Vettels car an older chassis in a move the German called a "sanity check" to try to find an elusive answer to his cars lack of pace. The Austrian team renowned for its design had a bigger problem than speed, however, when Vettel was left stranded just after the fifth turn. Vettel is having his worst season at Red Bull with only one podium finish so far and sits in a distant fifth place in the standings. He has even had to let new teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass him twice during the last two races. And Ricciardo emerged from the opening day of practice as the closest thing the grid can offer as a threat to the Mercedes duo by recording the third best time in both sessions at almost a second behind Hamilton. Hamilton trails Rosberg by four points despite having won the last three races in front of his teammate. The pair have won all four races and taken all four pole positions this year. Hamilton hasnt lost a step after a three-week break and showed that the other teams have yet to make headway despite their upgrades for the start of the seasons run of European events. "Its been a great day today and Im happy to be back in the car after what feels like quite a long break," said Hamilton. "Our two practice sessions today went very smoothly, in fact Ive not had such a good Friday for a very long time." Last years race winner, Fernando Alonso, had the fourth best effort in both sessions, while Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen could do no better than fifth in the afternoon. Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said he was "not happy" with his team and that he would work closely with new team principal Marco Mattiacci to "improve the situation as soon as possible." Pablo Maldonado of Lotus recorded the most laps through both 90-minute sessions with a total of 76. The early session to prepare for Sundays race featured some close calls. Sergio Perez had to box when the left mirror on his Force India car became detached. The Mexican driver had to grab it and drive one-handed while coming in. Sauber test driver Giedo Van der Garde survived a bigger scare when he told his team he had "a break failure" and ran off course, barely missing the wall. In the second session, Romain Grosjeans Lotus stalled at the end of the pitlane, while Jean-Eric Vergne lost the right rear wheel of his Toro Rosso. Max Chilton twice had to come in due to engine trouble before a piece of his Marussia went flying on his next trip out. He ended the day by driving into the sand. Kevin Mchale Jersey . The same for both the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. Bob Cousy Celtics Jersey . Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/Marcus-Smart-Jersey/. -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having an operation on a groin muscle. Robert Parish Celtics Jersey . On a hot, sweaty day, the Hall of Famer looked cool and comfortable. Jaylen Brown Celtics Jersey . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97.SAO PAULO - The duel for the Formula One title arrives in Brazil with Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fighting to get into good position ahead of the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi later this month.Rosberg needs to win in Brazil on Sunday to have a real shot at his first title. Hamilton just needs to stay close to his teammate to close in on his second drivers title.The championship cant be decided at Interlagos this weekend because the race in Abu Dhabi will be worth double points, but the result in Sao Paulo will determine how the title fight will be set up for the finale.Hamilton has a 24-point lead and would clinch the title with consecutive second-place finishes or by coming third in Brazil and a second in Abu Dhabi. Rosberg will need to be nearly perfect in both races to keep his hopes alive.Its clear that I need to rely on something happening, Rosberg said. For sure its not enough for me to win, unfortunately, but thats the way it is. In sports, so much can happen, so Im still very optimistic.Hamilton has been on a remarkable run in the final part of the season, winning five straight races to open up a big lead going into the decisive races. He started behind Rosberg in two of the last three races but was still able to overcome his teammate and finish with the victory.Its been quite a phenomenal season, Hamilton said. This year, for sure, has been the best year of my career. I feel like Ive grown as a driver.The 29-year-old Rosberg led the drivers standings early in the season but failed to keep up with Hamilton in the later part. He hasnt won since the German GP at home in July, eight races ago. He stayed within range of hiss teammate by finishing second in five of the last six races.ddddddddddddThe start of Rosbergs struggles began almost at the same time as his relationship with Hamilton deteriorated following contact between them at the Belgian GP. The 29-year-old British driver was angry about being taken out by his teammate and Rosberg was also criticized by team officials.I dont think anything has changed, Rosberg said. It was an intense battle before and it still is an intense battle now. I dont know his exact opinion on things, but for me nothing has changed since then.Lewis has done a little bit of a better job since then. Thats it, pretty simple, Rosberg added. But as I say, still two races (left).The title race remains undecided in great part because of the rule change that made the season-ending race worth double points, a move aimed at keeping fan interest alive throughout the season.Great news that for sure this year I have a chance to win the championship the way it is now, thats a good thing, Rosberg said. Im also happy because its good for the fans and that its going to be exciting until the very end. For sure it keeps me very, very optimistic.It will be the last race at Interlagos before an extensive renovation at the paddock and pit areas. There were some safety changes for this year, including the addition of runoff areas and a new pit entrance and pit exit.Its a lot safer now, Williams driver Felipe Massa said. I hope we will see less accidents than in the past.Rain is expected for the weekend, which could add even more unknowns to the title race. The Abu Dhabi GP will be on Nov. 23.___Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni ' ' '