Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes Barcelona will not herald the big turnaround for teams as has often been the case in the past.

With the opening quartet of flyaway races out of the way, the short break ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix usually sees teams working flat out to introduce a major upgrade that will carry them through the summer.

But with a major revolution on the horizon as Formula One prepares for the change in engine regulations in 2014, the allocation of resources is being more carefully considered.

That is especially the case given the cars currently on the grid have little room for manoeuvre in terms of development given they are an evolution of last season’s model, with the exception of McLaren.

Speaking to reporters, Fernley said: “I’m not sure you are going to see the big upgrades we’ve seen in the past, and I’m not just talking about us, I’m talking about across the board.

“Apart from McLaren, who we know will come back and be as strong as always, for the rest of the teams there is not much left in these cars as they are today.

“We’ve been pretty stable for the last few years, so there are no big leaps. I think everybody is just going to be putting tiny bits on all the way through the season – I hope!”

The hope expressed by Fernley is based on the fact Force India have made their strongest start to a season, with the Silverstone-based marque scoring 26 points from the first four races.

If, as Fernley feels, there is little progress made by those around him – other than McLaren – Force India could find themselves in a situation where they are consistently fighting in the top 10.

“That’s the intention,” added Fernley.

“We will have updates, as will other people, so nobody is sitting back – and I could be wrong – but I don’t think Spain will be the watershed it has in the past.

“It will be more about the attention to detail, and I think there is more to come from the tyre management yet, than aero this year.”