21/02/2017
NEWS STORY
Organisers at the Circuit de Catalunya have set aside the final day of next week's opening test for wet weather running.
With Pirelli and the teams keen to know how the new wet weather tyre behave, and with no guarantee of wet weather over the course of the opening three days of the test, organisers have declared that Thursday - the final day of the opening test - will be run in artificially wet conditions if needed.
Should it rain over the course of the opening three days of the test however, the final day (Thursday) will see the test run 'as is'.
In the wake of complaints from drivers as to how the Pirelli tyres reacted in the difficult conditions of Interlagos, the need to try the new wet tyres was thrown further into focus by last week's testing accident at Fiorano when Sebastian Vettel crashed on an out lap in the wet. Such was the damage to the 2015 mule car that the test had to be abandoned.
Ironically, Pirelli had pushed to have both pre-season tests in Bahrain but this was rejected by the teams, mainly on grounds of cost.
Thus far the prototype 2017 wet tyres have only been run on the Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull mule cars, and recalling the fact that last year's opening practice sessions in Melbourne were held in changeable conditions Pirelli and the teams will be keen to try the new wet rubber before the sport comes under the full intensity of the media in Australia as the season gets underway.