Mercedes becomes latest team to test out 2017 Pirelli tires

LE CASTELLET, France (AP) Mercedes became the third Formula One team to try out manufacturer Pirelli's wider 2017 tires on Tuesday.

Wider tires will feature on all cars next season as part of changes designed to make cars quicker and to increase overtaking.

Red Bull and Ferrari previously tested next year's tires, which are about 25 percent wider.

German driver Pascal Wehrlein, who races for the F1 Manor team but is also a junior driver for Mercedes, tested the tires at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France.

He drove a 2015 Mercedes F1 car modified to simulate 2017 levels of downforce.

Ferrari did further work with Pirelli on Tuesday on the Spanish Grand Prix track just outside of Barcelona, with Kimi Raikkonen driving.

Teammate Sebastian Vettel recently did wet-weather tire testing.