Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes revised Formula 1 regulations set to be introduced for 2019 could shake up the sport’s competitive order.
Mercedes has been the benchmark since the start of the hybrid era in 2014 though has been challenged by Ferrari across 2017/18, amid a renewed threat from the Italian marque.
Red Bull Racing has been the only other team to triumph during that period.
Next year Formula 1 will feature reprofiled front and rear wings in a bid to reduce the volume of dirty air given off by cars, with the hope of enhancing the spectacle of racing.
Maximum fuel levels will be raised while driver weights will be incorporated into the overall weight of the car, in order to stop tall drivers from being unfairly penalised.
When asked whether a Honda-powered Red Bull team could pose a formidable threat in 2019, Wolff offered a different viewpoint.
“We have seen there is no more pattern anymore — there is not one team that dominates one kind of circuit where it performs well,” said Wolff.
“It has changed, and the Honda engine certainly looks very powerful now and Red Bull is a good group of racers.
“But I think that the biggest impact will be that we have completely new aerodynamic regulations that will change everything up and down.
“Somebody might find a loophole or an innovation or understand how these cars work early than others, so I think there is a big, big variable in those new regulations next year.
“We could even have teams being right up there that are not on the radar today.”
The last time there was a drastic season-by-season order change came across 2008/09, when the Honda team that had struggled in 2008 profited from revised aerodynamic regulations to claim both titles under the Brawn GP guise in 2009.
