Sauber C35 has passed mandatory crash tests

Sauber is pressing ahead with its plan to begin testing its 2016 car only at the second and final pre-season test next month. The Swiss team announced on Monday that the C35, which will not be in action when official testing begins in Barcelona later in February, has at least passed the FIA crash tests.

"It is not excluded that we will drive between the first test and the roll-out on a filming day," a team spokesman said in January. But when asked if the newly-passed crash test means Sauber has accelerated its programme and will now be up and running this month, a team insider told us: "There are no changes to the original plan."

It means Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson will only have the 2015 car to drive at the first Barcelona test, albeit in a new livery. Ericsson told the Swedish newspaper Teknikens Varld: "But we can still get some work done, to gather data from the tyres and also test some new parts and settings." (GMM)