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Lotus is set to give a track debut to its version of double DRS at Hockenheim on Friday, AUTOSPORT can reveal, with the team hoping to gain as much valuable test mileage on it as possible.

The Enstone-based outfit has been working on its concept ever since its protest against the Mercedes design was rejected by the race stewards at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

A big effort by the team has resulted in it giving the green light for it to be trialled by Kimi Raikkonen in the opening free practice for the German GP.

The team wants to use the test to check on the benefits of the design, but it is unlikely to race it this weekend. However, it is hoping to use it later on in the season when it could be valuable at the higher downforce tracks.

Although the exact details of how the Lotus system works are not known, it is understood to operate in a very different way to the Mercedes design - despite making use of the same 'loopholes' in the regulations as its rival.

Instead of flowing air through the car to the front wing, its main aim is to influence the airflow over the rear wing - helping to stall it for a straightline speed boost.

It is expected to use new inlet holes on the engine cover, which are likely to be a part of the new double-DRS system.

Lotus has not confirmed its plans for the DRS system, but technical director James Allison did reveal in the build-up to Hockenheim that his outfit was set to trial some 'interesting' developments.

Back in April, Allison also made it clear that the outfit was looking at exploiting the double DRS regulations after the Mercedes ruling.

"We are at the point of making estimates of how big the gain might be and assessing the difficulty in actually realising that gain," he said. "It's anyone's guess how powerful any existing system is, but that's not the issue: it's how powerful we think we can make any system which we can develop now we know how the rules can be interpreted.

"There are systems like Mercedes has, but the interpretation allows other permutations too. So it could be an interesting time for developments in this area."