Both Team Lotus regulars will sit out initial practice on Friday morning.
The Tony Fernandes-led team has announced that reserve drivers Luiz Razia and Davide Valsecchi will take over the T128s for the first official session in Shanghai.
Italian Valsecchi drove Heikki Kovalainen’s green car early at Sepang last Friday, two weeks after Karun Chandhok stood in for Jarno Trulli in Melbourne but crashed.
"It’s a great opportunity," Brazilian Razia told the Agencia Estado. "I will do the first practice with two sets of tyres and one or two new items brought straight from the factory."