New Force India won't run at first test

Ahead of the team's new livery launch in Mexico on Wednesday, the Silverstone-based outfit has confirmed that it will use its 2014 car for the first test at Jerez in Spain that starts on February 1.

It means its Mercedes-powered VJM08 will not make its public debut until the Barcelona test that begins on February 19.

Technical director Andrew Green said last year that the team had been pondering delaying the launch of its new car because of the three-week gap between the first two tests.

"There is an argument to say you are much better off using those three weeks to move the car along as far as development is concerned, and then rolling out at Barcelona," he told AUTOSPORT.

"There are advantages and disadvantages to both. It's not clear-cut like it was [in 2014].

"[Last year] you had to do the first test with the new power unit and the new chassis, you just had to get miles on the car. It's not that critical [this season]."

Green also said that aerodynamic lessons learned in the closing stages of 2014 - when the team uncovered it had made a development error - have prompted it to delay committing to its definitive 2015 design.

"It means the things we tested and learned about at the last races and in the [Abu Dhabi] test could actually get on the car for the start of next year, rather than it missing the boat and ending up on as an upgrade," he said.

"Or even not on an upgrade, because if you don't have the latitude to design those parts in, you box yourself in and they never go on.

"The later you can leave it, the better. In the last few weeks [of the 2014 season], we were on quite a steep learning curve, which makes you think you should hold back.

"It would be a much harder decision if the tyres were going to be proper 2015 race tyres at Jerez, but because they're not it is a bit of a shakedown test."

Force India will be using Toyota's Cologne windtunnel this season, after concluding a deal with the Japanese manufacturer last year.