Test driver Pedro de la Rosa spent four days at the wheel of the Toyota TF109 that has been used to test Pirelli’s tires since August: Two days to run through the entire range of P Zero dry tires and two nights during which he tested the wet and intermediate tires.

The wet weather test made history, as it was the first time that a Formula One car had been run in wet conditions in the dark. In order to replicate rainy conditions, tankers dampened the 3.1- kilometer north loop of the Yas Marina circuit – the venue for the final Grand Prix of the Formula One calendar – with about 140,000 liters of water over two evening sessions that lasted until midnight.

With floodlights covering the length of the track, the Yas Marina circuit boasts the largest sports lighting facility in the world.

The first wet session was aimed at selecting the wet tire that will be used by Pirelli during the coming season. Under the intense spotlights used to illuminate the track, de la Rosa completed 13 runs and 119 laps, totaling some 372 kilometers. He completed a similar distance during the second night, but this time he focused on testing the intermediate tire and determining the crossover point –which defines when it is necessary to make the switch from full wets to intermediates and vice versa.

Throughout the two days of dry running in Abu Dhabi that preceded the wet test, Pirelli completed 1,400 kilometers of running, going through all four compounds in the dry tire range, from super-soft to hard.

In total Pirelli completed more than 2,000 kilometers in Abu Dhabi to add to the 1,100 kilometers racked up in Bahrain last week. This brings the total testing kilometers accumulated by Pirelli since the first tires took to the Italian circuit of Mugello in August up to more than 20,000.

“In my opinion, Pirelli is ready now for Formula One,” De la Rosa says.

“The dry tire test went very well, and confirmed everything we had learned in Bahrain the week before. But the most original part of the test was when we were running at night on the wet tires, which was as new an experience for me as it was for everyone else,” he observes.

“The most important thing was that the water levels were consistent, which allowed us to have some accurate results from the test. At the end of it, we’ve come up with two tires – wet and intermediate – which I believe are both competitive and stable,” De la Rosa concludes.

“It’s been an extremely positive test session here in Abu Dhabi, thanks to the fantastic facilities we’ve had available to us and the usual hard work from Pedro and the rest of our team,” says Pirelli motorsports director Paul Hembery.

“We’re very proud to have been part of creating a little bit of history by running a Formula One car at night for the first time on wet tires. We very much believe that Pirelli will be able to contribute to the spectacle of Formula One in the future, and seeing the car kicking up huge plumes of spray under the floodlights has certainly been an amazing sight that we will all remember for a long time,” he reports.

“While we are well aware that we are new to Formula One and still have plenty to learn, I’m confident that we can approach the start of this year’s official testing next month with a strong package,” says Hembery.

The next test will take place at the Spanish circuit of Valencia Feb. 1-3 with all the Formula One teams Feb. 1-3. This is the first time that they will have sampled the Pirelli tires since the two-day test last November following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The teams will then have three more official tests – in Jerez, Barcelona and Bahrain – before the 2011 season starts in March.

For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.