“Obviously there’s quite a bit to do but there’s a still a fair bit of time
before the first race.”
Asked if Red Bull could afford another test like Jerez, in which Mercedes
managed more than 300 laps, Horner replied: “We don’t want another test like
Jerez. But that’s what testing is for – you sort your problems out so as not
to have them at the races.”
After two tests in Bahrain, the second of which concludes on March 2, the
teams head to Melbourne for the first race on March 16.
Meanwhile, fellow Renault-powered team Lotus, who did not even make it to
Jerez, completed the maximum of 100km on a “promotional” day with their new
car at the weekend.
Renault suffered troubles with all their teams in Jerez, but Lotus reported no
“major problems” for the engine in their promotional running.
Formula One is facing vastly different regulations for 2014, with the cars
powered by smaller turbocharged engines, which make extensive use of
electrical energy.