13/01/2014
NEWS STORY
In the wake of Lotus’ revelation that it will not be attending the opening pre-season test in Jerez, Williams has today confirmed that it will be there.
In a brief Q&A last week, Lotus Technical Director, Nick Chester, admitted that the Lotus E22 will not be ready in time for Jerez and therefore the team will not hit the track until Bahrain three weeks later.
With 2014 marking the biggest raft of rule changes in living memory, the pre-season tests are crucial, and rival teams have expressed surprise that Lotus is missing out, even though team boss Eric Boullier insists others will follow his example.
As speculation mounts that Lotus' decision might be more about money than the readiness of its car, Williams today confirmed that it will be on track in Jerez later this month.
"Good morning from Grove..." tweeted the team, "things are starting to get busy now as we enter FW36 car build week!
"We'll be on track in Jerez in just over 2 weeks... and everyone is looking forward to getting going now!" they added.
This means that along with Mercedes and Caterham, Williams will roll-out its car for the benefit of the media on the first morning of the test, McLaren unveiling its contender a few days earlier online.
Chris Balfe