Red Bull skip Valencia test

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will have to wait until the second pre-season test before trying out the new Red Bull.

Last year’s constructors’ runners-up are to miss the opening test in Valencia from February 1-3, and instead will fire up in Jerez the following week from 10-13.

Team principal Christian Horner insists there are no issues, but with a ban on refuelling for this year they are determined the car is right before it takes to the track.

“As in 2009, we have elected not to run at the first test with the new car, so we will join at the second test,” confirmed Horner to Autosport.

Although the team will only have 12 days of track testing before the season opener in Bahrain in mid-March, Horner added: “It’s to optimise the time in the wind tunnel as much as possible.

“Obviously the car is much more of an evolution of the 2009 car rather than the clean sheet of regulations that we had for last season.

“But even so, with the refuelling change, we’ve opted to give our designers as much time as possible.”