McLaren's Zak Brown says he wouldn't be surprised if Mercedes went on to claim every title up until the 2021 rules reset, meaning the Brackley-based squad would enjoy a run of seven consecutive title successes stretching back to 2014.
If that were to happen it would beat Ferrari's record run of six consecutive titles between 1999 and 2004.
With the current power unit and aerodynamic rules in place until 2021, Brown believes Mercedes are "odds on favourites" to win the title in each of the next three seasons as current manufacturers are unable to match the performance of the Mercedes engine.
“I think we need to ask ourselves if Mercedes win seven championships in a row, how’s that going to impact the sport? And is that healthy for anybody in the sport? And I think under the current regulations, current spend, you’ve got to say they’re odds-on favourite to win the next three years.
“We’ve got a chance to course-correct with 2021, but we need to do that now because I think Formula 1 will be much more entertaining and therefore more valuable to all of us if we have four, five, six teams winning races, that have a chance at a championship."
Brown is hopeful that Mercedes and Ferrari will agree to Liberty Media's plans to redistribute the prize money pot in a fairier manner, which could go some way to aiding rivals teams in their bid to catch up – but understands why they'd rather keep the status quo as it benefits them hugely.
"If you’re Ferrari and Mercedes, especially Mercedes dominating the sport, you’ve got all the revenue," he added. "So on one hand I understand why they’d want to protect that position.
“[But] I think [agreeing to change] will ultimately be healthier and I don’t think Mercedes gets any more credit winning 15 races and the championship than they do winning five races and winning the championship, and all that will actually do is make the sport more entertaining than it is today."
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