According to a report in Finnish media, Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado is refusing to give up his E23 to Jolyon Palmer for FP1 sessions. Jolyon Palmer is the reserve driver for Lotus in 2015, and has also been promised FP1 sessions to get more track time and experience in the E23. Palmer was at the wheel of Romain Grosjean’s car during FP1 in China Bahrain.

Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat are reporting that Pastor Maldonado has now been asked to sit out FP1 on a few occasions to allow Palmer to drive, a request the Venezuelan is refusing.

Pastor, who brings vast amounts of sponsorship money from his home country’s oil company PDVSA, has ‘made it clear to the team that his agreement gives him the right to drive in every session at every Grand Prix’, according to the report.

Pastor is currently in his second season with Lotus, and has finished once in the points for the team when he took 9th place in Austin last year. Team-mate Romain Grosjean has fared better, scoring twice in 2014, and twice so far in 2015.

Handing over the car to an inexperienced new driver for the first practice session can have lasting effects throughout the weekend, such as Sergio Perez never recovering from Daniel Juncadella crashing his VJM07 during Brazilian FP1 last season.