Bad weather hinders Nico Rosberg's first test of 2017 Pirelli tyres

Current F1 championship leader Rosberg drove a modified 2015 Mercedes, with the W06 redesigned to simulate increased downforce loads, at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Wednesday, completing 60 laps.

Rosberg managed 46 laps before lunch on slick tyres, but only 14 afterwards as rain compromised proceedings, although Pirelli was at least able to gain some data with regard to its wet-weather tyres.

However, the test failed to provide enough representative information overall.

A Pirelli statement read: "Unfortunately, cool temperatures in the morning (with track temperatures of 17 degress centigrade at the beginning of the test) and the rain in the afternoon hindered the work that was done today, making it difficult to obtain representative tyre data."

The conditions meant the car was unable to get sufficient temperature into Pirelli's dry compounds.

For this reason Pirelli and a number of teams are pushing for next year's pre-season testing to take place in a warmer climate, such as in Bahrain.

At present teams are divided, with the likes of Red Bull and Williams determined for the two tests to remain in Barcelona, citing cost and logistical reasons, while Mercedes and Ferrari back Pirelli's preference for winter testing to move back to Bahrain.

Pirelli now has added ammunition for its fight given the cold conditions experienced in today's Spanish test are similar to those usually experienced in late February-early March, when the two 2017 pre-season tests are scheduled to take place.