Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for Formula One's season-opening Australian Grand Prix in a rain-hit qualifying session Saturday, while four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will start the race from 12th after being caught out by the wet conditions.

Vettel was joined by fellow big-name drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button in dropping out of qualifying in the second session as they struggled on the wet surface at the Albert Park street circuit.

While Vettel struggled, his new Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo thrived, qualifying second, three tenths of a second behind Hamilton's pole time.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg qualified third, ahead of McLaren's Kevin Magnussen and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.