Pirelli's first wet-night test underway
Pirelli made some history on Monday when it held Formula One's first wet-night test at the Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.
Former Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa was the man behind the wheel of the car during testing on a circuit that was soaked with water.
The 5.55km track had been coated in water for the night test which will take place over two evenings. The tyre manufacturer hopes to cover more than 1,000km.
Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery says the hot conditions in the Middle East were key to their decision to test in Abu Dhabi.
"The reason we're here is because it's warmer," he said. "Of course we could find plenty of wet testing in Europe at Valencia, Silverstone or elsewhere, but in Europe when it's wet it's also cold.
"There are wet races in F1 in Asia - Malaysia, Japan, possibly Singapore - and those places are different, the ambient temperature stays very high even when it's raining.
"The compounds are extremely sensitive to temperatures in wet conditions, so this provides different information for us on competitive use.
"And we're testing at night time because we don't want the sun to evaporate the water on the track."
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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