Alonso says real pecking order is not yet known

Fernando Alonso

With none of the teams having pulled a 'Brawn' so far in pre-season testing, Fernando Alonso reckons we'll have to wait until Bahrain to see who's on top.

Ferrari dominated the opening test at Valencia with Felipe Massa and Alonso setting the pace on all three days while at Jerez four different teams; Mercedes GP, Sauber, Toro Rosso and McLaren; each had a day where they finished on top.

But with the cars carrying anything from 160kgs of fuel to nothing but fumes, there is no way of knowing how much fuel each driver was carrying at the time.

It's a very different story to last year's pre-season testing when Brawn GP, now running under the Mercedes branding, emerged as a dominant force from their very first run.

And unless a team puts in a similar performance over the remaining two tests, Alonso reckons the pecking order will only be revealed when the F1 circus heads to Bahrain for the first race of the season.

"Last year Brawn came only to the last test when everyone had already put their cards on the table and it was immediately clear they had a winning car," the Spaniard told Motorsport Aktuell.

"This year it is different because no one stands out."

"I predict we will have to wait until Bahrain to see the real pecking order."