Pascal Wehrlein has completed the first day of the Pirelli 2017 wet tyre test at the Circuit Paul Ricard for Mercedes AMG PETRONAS.
The Mercedes- Benz protégé took the wheel of a mule car that was modified to simulate 2017 levels of downforce, in order to test next year’s wider wet tyres. With windy conditions, it was trickier to maintain a consistent level of water on the track between one run and the next.
Even with this struggle, Wehrlein was able to complete 80 laps in the morning session, with a further 55 laps being completed in the afternoon. To finish the day with 135 laps under his belt for Mercedes.
This session was the second trail of next year’s wet weather tyres after Scuderia Ferrari ran them at the beginning of August at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were at the wheel of the modified 2015 Ferrari.
Currently Red Bull Racing have yet to test the wet weather tyres, with the Milton Keynes outfit to participate in the test at the beginning of November. The last time Wehrlein completed a tyre test for Mercedes was at the beginning of this month when he tested their slick compounds.
Wehrlein will return to the wheel on Thursday when the tests continue at the French circuit. Completing the two-day session
