HRT team members had their fingers crossed this week that the 2012 car would pass the FIA’s mandatory crash tests.
Most of the Spanish team’s rivals have already begun testing their new single seaters, but at Jerez Pedro de la Rosa had to be content with the outdated 2011 machine.
"If it (the new car) passes (the FIA tests), we will have the car at the next test in Barcelona," said the Spanish driver.
"It is very important that we pass the tests even though we know it’s not easy given that some top teams failed at the first attempt.
"We need every mile," de la Rosa was quoted in Spanish reports.
But bad news about two of the crash tests emerged late on Thursday, meaning de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan will not get their hands on the 2012 car at the forthcoming Barcelona test.
New rules in 2012 mean teams cannot test their new cars until they are fully homologated by the FIA.