LONDON: Lotus have decided to skip Formula One’s first pre-season test in Jerez this month to give themselves more time to work on their new car, the team said on Monday.
“We’re going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams,” technical director Nick Chester said in a team release. “We’ve decided that attending the Jerez test isn’t ideal for our build and development programme.
“We are likely to unveil the car before attending the Bahrain tests, and in Bahrain we should really be able to put the car through its paces in representative conditions.”
The first pre-season test at the Spanish track is due to start on January 28 with two further tests in much hotter conditions in Bahrain before the opening race in Australia on March 16.
In the past, some teams have participated in the opening test of the year using cars from the previous season but there is nothing to be gained from that now with the introduction of a new engine.
However, given the extent of the technical changes and the limited opportunities to test cars with the new 2014 tyres before the season starts, most teams still want to get as much mileage as possible even if the weather in Jerez can be variable at this time of year.
McLaren’s Jenson Button warned last month that testing in southern Spain could prove “hilarious’, given the cold temperatures and likely lack of reliability.
“It will be cold, the tyres aren’t going to work, the cars probably won’t work either and when you do get a lap it is probably going to feel weird because you are running higher gears,” said the 2009 champion.
F1 has replaced the previous 2.4 litre V8 engines with a 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 unit with energy recovery systems. (Reuters)
