Sebastian Vettel's first test of 2017, aimed at sampling Pirelli's new wet tyres, ended in the barriers of Ferrari's Fiorano test track after a crash on Thursday.
The four-time world champion was behind the wheel of a modified 2015 car on the wider Pirelli compounds set to be introduced this season. Early in the afternoon of his test, Vettel lost control of his car on the artificially-soaked circuit and was pitched head-first into the barriers.
Images posted online by Italian bloggers and fans showed Vettel's car pitch to the right while descending from a right-hander after the circuit's bridge crossing. Though Vettel was unharmed aside from some minor bruising, damage to the car required extensive repairs and prompted his test day to be cut short.
The car was due to be run again on Friday with reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi, who made his Ferrari test debut at Fiorano seven days ago. It is unclear whether Ferrari will fix the car in time for Friday, and whether Vettel would want to step in for another day to make up for lost time if repairs were completed in time.
Pirelli is continuing the tests of its wet tyres to prepare for the standing restarts which will follow safety car periods in 2017. With last year's wet tyres showing significant issues with warm-up -- especially at the rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix -- Pirelli is keen to avoid complications when cars start from a stationary position without the benefit of tyre warmers, which are only used ahead of the official race start.
The tests are being carried out as teams continue work on their 2017 challengers, which are set to look radically different following sweeping regulation changes for the new campaign.