Jenson Button believes a new set of rules may not be enough to overcome Mercedes significant power advantage, thus leaving the German squad still in control.
With teams starting from a clean sheet of paper for 2017 and design emphasizing aerodynamics, many believe in a reset of the running order at the front.
But Jenson Button believes that the superiority of Mercedes' power unit could be enough to preserve its dominance.
"For anyone to catch Mercedes is a big ask, it really is," said Button at this weekend's ROC in Miami.
"They've been so strong the last three years. Nobody knows with completely different regulations.
"With the way the regulations are now, there's a lot more drag. So you need massive amounts of power, which Mercedes seems to have.
"I think if anyone challenges them, then they'll have done a great job over this winter."
The least one could hope for however after three seasons of Silver Arrows hegemony is a bit more competition among the frontrunners.
We all want a positive season, it's important for F1 to have many teams fighting at the front," added McLaren's new ambassador.
"We definitely need that after the last three years. And with the new regulations, it's very positive for the sport, something that it also needed.
"We've got to hope that this is the start of great things for Formula 1 in the future."
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