Nico Rosberg had his first taste of Pirelli’s wider 2017-spec tyres on Wednesday, as the Mercedes driver completed 60 laps of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Driving a modified version of the 2015 title-winning W06 that simulates next year’s increased downforce loads, Rosberg lapped around the Spanish Grand Prix venue in mixed-weather conditions on the first of two days of testing for Mercedes.
“Unfortunately, cool temperatures in the morning (with track temperatures of 17° at the beginning of the test) and the rain in the afternoon hindered the work that was done today, making it difficult to obtain representative tyre data,” a Pirelli statement reads.
“Rosberg completed 60 laps: 46 in the morning on dry asphalt and 14 in the afternoon in the wet.”
The mixed-weather conditions are likely to fuel the rift currently growing among F1 teams about moving next year’s pre-season testing from Barcelona to Bahrain in search of hotter temperatures.
Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull all supply mule cars to help Pirelli gather valuable information and data ahead of the 2017 season, which will see wider tyres introduced, with the dimensions increasing from 245mm to 305mm at the front and from 325mm to 405mm at the rear.
Following Mercedes’ two-day test, Red Bull will carry out a slick tyre test in Abu Dhabi on October 14-16.
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