• Jerez test

Pirelli to hold wet-weather day at Jerez

Pirelli will also bring a special winter slick compound © Getty Images

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Pirelli has dedicated Friday at this week's Jerez test to wet weather running unless it rains at the track earlier in the week.

The track will be artificially soaked on Friday in order for the wet tyres to be tested, while Pirelli is also bringing a special winter slick hard tyre to cope with the cooler temperatures expected this week. All the 2014 slick tyres will be available to the teams and will have a new construction and new compounds, with slightly increased weight. The wet tyre has a new tread pattern and a different compound.

"The Jerez test will be very interesting as we see the 2014 cars and engines on track for the first time and how they interact with our tyres," Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said. "In particular, this first test is an opportunity to see how the new cars interact with our latest tyres, considering the differences between all the 2014 cars. Jerez will be an official test but also a learning experience for everyone.

"The 2014 tyres are just as different to their predecessors as the 2014 cars, with the majority of our preparation work having been carried out by using advanced data simulation, as well as real on-track testing. Last year, the teams lost some pre-season running due to excessively cold conditions in Spain: we even saw some ice on the track at one point.

"In order to combat this, we have developed a special 'winter' version of the hard compound. This will be used for the Jerez test only and it is designed to work effectively even in cold conditions. Finally, the new regulations stipulate that one of the pre-season test days will be dedicated to wet weather testing of our new Cinturato intermediate and wet tyres. This is scheduled for the final day at Jerez, in order to give the teams experience of a wide range of conditions as soon as possible as they refine their 2014 cars."

All teams have a set allocation of tyres per car this week, with two medium compounds, four hards, six winter compounds, three wets and three intermediates. On top of this allocation, teams will be allowed to pick a further seven sets of tyres for the test. The winter hard compound should be better equipped to deal with the cooler temperatures that teams struggled with in Jerez last year.

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