Damp start to shift wet tyre test

Overnight rain looks set to alter the F1 testing timetable at Jerez, with the damp track offering an early shift to Pirelli's wet-weather tyres.

While not necessarily what the teams were looking for after an opening day in which nine cars failed to total 100 laps between them, the conditions offer an early opportunity to sample the latest groove Pirellis, likely doing away with the 'artificial' wet weather day that had been planned for Friday.

The rain started late on Tuesday and persisted overnight, presenting the teams with a very different set of conditions to those they experienced on the opening day of 2014 pre-season testing. Further rain is expected during Wednesday, so it makes sense to bring forward wet weather testing in the hope that the rest of the week will remain dry.

Already geared up to we tthe circuit if necessary on the final day of the test, Pirelli will now make the track wetter before running commences, before allowing it to dry slightly as the day goes on, allowing both its full wet and intermediate tyres to be run.

The lack of running on day one, meanwhile, has prompted Force India to rejig its rota behind the wheel, with Sergio Perez remaining in the cockpit instead of handing over to Nico Hulkenberg.