Domenicali doubts 2013 pecking order to change

May 14 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali doubts F1's pecking order will change significantly as the 'development race' continues in 2013.

Speaking to Brazil's Totalrace, the Ferrari boss seemed relieved that the pecking order had not changed significantly between Bahrain and Spain.

Usually, the first race of the European season is the scene of a potential pecking-order shake-up, as teams returned to their headquarters after the initial 'flyaway' period.

"The Spanish Grand Prix," said Domenicali, "was important in my view so we could see the jump in performance of each team.

"From now until the end of July, we will see no more than one or two major steps in the development," the Italian added.

He is referring to the forthcoming summer period, when all of the teams will have to turn the bulk of their attention to the huge regulation changes for 2014.

Referring to the pecking order in Barcelona, Domenicali surmised: "It seems like everyone had the same kind of improvement, unlike what happened last year.

"After so many years with these regulations, it is difficult for someone to find a great performance leap."

So, from the middle of the season onwards, it seems obvious that the teams will have close to 100 per cent of their resources on honing a competitive package for the V6-powered future.

"We will be forced to focus more on the car for next year," said Domenicali, "because if we find something (for 2014), the improvement will not be two or three tenths, but two or three seconds.

"This is a crucial part of the season," he added.