Force India F1 team wants action on 'worrying' gulf to top three

Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were expected to be well clear of the chasing pack by the end of F1 pre-season testing at Barcelona, with Haas team principal Gunther Steiner tipping them as being more than one second clear.

Red Bull struggled in Australia, letting Haas driver Romain Grosjean get within six tenths of Max Verstappen in qualifying, albeit 1.886 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton on pole.

Williams's Felipe Massa was the only midfield finisher not to be lapped in sixth place, the Brazilian finishing nearly a full minute down on Verstappen.

Force India got both of its cars into the points in the season opener, in seventh and 10th and also one lap down, and Fernley said the situation was down to the top three's "ridiculous" spending advantage.

"I think it's going to probably get worse," he said.

"That's the worrying part about it, and that's the bit that I think Liberty are seeing very much as a concern for the show. And rightly so.

"And I think hopefully that will get addressed in the coming months.

"At the moment it's just how much money you can spend. Whilst you've got that, the disparity is just ridiculous."

Fernley reiterated his desire to see costs controlled in F1, without penalising the top three, but admitted he does not expect any changes in time to shape the 2017 campaign.

"I don't think anything can be done this season but it can be brought in progressively," he added.

"We are where we are, but if there's a willingness to make those moves and [Liberty] do make them - which I believe they're keen to do - then it can only benefit the sport going forward.

"And we've also got to be respectful of those [leading] teams. If they've got to cut back, we've got to do it in a way that allows them to do it in a dignified manner.

"It's not their fault that they're where they are - it's the process that's wrong."