Lewis Hamilton completes wet-weather Pirelli test at Ferrari's Fiorano track

Following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix amid the US-Iran war, April provides multiple testing opportunities for the eleven teams, as well as Pirelli for future seasons.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls have already taken part in a two-day tyre test, straight after the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, also in wet conditions.

Despite taking place in Italy, the Scuderia's Fiorano track is one of the few homologated for F1 and features an irrigation system that allows the asphalt to be soaked in order to recreate specific conditions for full wet and intermediate tyre testing.

In a press release, Pirelli explained what Hamilton had been up to during the test.

Pirelli said: "The first tyres to be tested were the extreme wet prototypes, including a new tread design already trialled last week at Suzuka, with the aim of extending the operating range of the Cinturato Full Wet to cover less intense rain conditions as well."

"From mid-afternoon until the end of the day, a variant of the Cinturato Intermediate was fitted, making it possible to assess the crossover windows between the wet products tested on track."

On Friday, the seven-time world champion Hamilton completed 461 kilometres, the equivalent of 155 laps, with his best time clocking at 1:00.740.

Across the two days, the Briton completed a total of 297 laps for an overall distance of 884 kilometres, with ambient temperatures reaching 22°C.

Mercedes and McLaren are also set to take part in a Pirelli tyre test, taking place at the iconic Nürburgring behind closed doors on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 April.

Last used in F1 in 2020, Pirelli note that the track is "fairly balanced" in its F1 configuration, and places "equal emphasis on lateral and longitudinal loads."

The Italian tyre supplier say it will therefore represent an interesting test bed for future slick compounds.

Hamilton has had a positive first three rounds of the season so far, scoring his first Grand Prix podium with Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix, and battling with teammate Charles Leclerc on a number of occasions.

As a result, Hamilton also made the F1 TV analyst James Hinchcliffe's list of top five most impressive drivers so far this year, together with Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly and Oliver Bearman.