Force India have been forced to deny rumours that they will not only miss all of pre-season testing, but also the opening race in Australia on 15th March.
Eyebrows were first raised when the team’s 2015 launch only featured last year’s car with a new nosecone and livery, and then when the team decided not to go to the ongoing first test at Jerez, their official explanation being that little could be learnt from testing a year-old car.There have since been reports in the German media that the Silverstone-based team has no monocoque for this year's car the VJM08, plus a rumour reported by Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat that the team planned to have former Sauber development driver Sergey Sirotkin as their reserve for 2015, but the sponsorship funds they needed make the first test didn't come in time.
A Force India spokesperson refused to be drawn into any speculation, saying simply to Sky Sports News HQ: "We will definitely be in Melbourne and are still planning to test in Barcelona." Sky Sports reporter Rachel Brookes also tweeted her own update.
Whether or not these rumours have any sort of weight will be seen when the first of two Barcelona tests start on February 19th. Either way Force India is already behind in terms of running, with every other team currently testing at Jerez until tomorrow.
