Feb.28 (GMM) Marussia will take its unlaunched 2012 car to Australia for the start of the season without having tested it.

The former Virgin team had already delayed the launch of the MR01, and now it emerges that the car is yet to pass one of the FIA's mandatory crash tests.

In 2012, for the first time, the FIA is requiring that the tests be passed before teams can even run their new single seaters in the pre-season.

"The team will now not take part in the final preseason test in Barcelona later this week," Marussia said in a media statement, "and will instead focus its efforts on repeating the crash test at the end of the week."

Fellow back-of-the-grid team HRT reportedly passed the crash tests with its unlaunched 2012 this week, and is expected to be in Barcelona.

The season starts in Melbourne on March 18.

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