A Pirelli test session at Fiorano ended early because Sebastian Vettel crashed into the wall whilst trying out the 2017 wet-weather tyres.
Vettel was driving Ferrari’s 2017 test mule – a 2015 Ferrari SF15-T with extra downforce added to simulate the new cars – to test Pirelli’s 2017-spec wet-weather tyres. He’d just begun the afternoon session when he ran off the track and smashed into the barriers. Honestly, what is he meant to be doing here? Testing or ping pong?
Here how #Vettel crashed today during Pirelli’s wet tyres test at Fiorano. #F1 #Ferrari #P300@Passionea300 @radio5punto9 pic.twitter.com/yrhtoTkhQc
— Andrea Ettori (@AndreaEttori) February 9, 2017
Apart from a bruised elbow Vettel was ok but the car was too damaged to finish the day of testing. To make matters worse the second day of the test had to be abandoned too because of a lack of spare parts, denying GP2 driver and Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi the chance to complete some more laps in an F1 car.
One of Pirelli’s main aims for this test was to improve how quickly their wet-weather tyres warm up as it was something they were heavily criticised for in 2016. Losing all this running will really hurt them – and if the crash wasn’t just a simple error from Vettel, it seems like they still have some work to do!