De la Rosa hoping for better conditions

A year ago it was sand playing havoc with the pre-season testing programme for the teams. This year rain has blighted much of the running at Jerez with more forecast for the remainder of the week.

For Pedro de la Rosa, the situation is frustrating as he looks to get to grips with the new Sauber Ferrari ahead of his return to competition in Bahrain.

"It’s difficult to learn a lot about the car and the tyres in these conditions, but you just have to have the patience to wait for tomorrow and hope that it will be drier," he told Autosport. "I am desperate for dry running.

"That’s all I can say. I am desperate, because I need the dry running and it’s the only way of learning about myself, the car and the new regulations."