12/10/2016
NEWS STORY
The first of two days of the latest Pirelli 2017 tyre test got underway at Barcelona today, with championship leader Nico Rosberg at the wheel.
Rosberg, getting his first taste of the 2017-spec tyres, drove a Mercedes W06 mule car, which has been modified to simulate next year's increased downforce loads.
Unfortunately, cool temperatures in the morning (with track temperatures of 17 degrees centigrade) and rain in the afternoon hindered the programme making it difficult to obtain representative data.
The German completed 60 laps, 46 in the morning on dry asphalt and 14 in the afternoon in the wet.
The test continues tomorrow with Lewis Hamilton taking over the W06, while Red Bull will take to the track at Abu Dhabi for what will be a three-day slick tyre test.