Lotus sure more teams will miss first F1 test of 2014

The Enstone-based team announced earlier this week that it was to skip the four-day run at Jerez, which starts on January 28, because its new car would not be ready in time.

Although that move will put the outfit on the back foot because of the need to get mileage on the new 2014 power units and cars, Lotus boss Eric Boullier has claimed that at least one other team will also skip it.

"You will see, we will not be the only team not being in Jerez," Boullier told the BBC. "I know this for a fact already."

F1 teams discussed at a Strategy Group meeting at the end of last year about the idea of delaying the opening test so they could have more time to get their 2014 challengers ready, but the plan was rejected.

Boullier added: "We already said a month ago that it is going to be tight. Actually most of the teams agreed it was going to be tight. Then it was a decision we took.

"It is true the car will not be ready on time, but we will be ready shortly after that - and in some ways, it is not bad because we will have time to watch what the others are doing and nobody will be able to watch what we are doing.

"Remember, this year it is a big regulation change, so everybody will be watching very carefully what the others have done."

McLaren, Mercedes and Caterham are the only teams to have confirmed so far that they will launch their cars in time for the Jerez test.

Boullier admitted that missing Jerez was not ideal, but the team had to make the most of the situation it was now in.

"We took the decision bearing in mind we would miss a third of the testing, so we have to focus on doing things a little bit differently to make sure we do not lose too much," he said.