Formula 1 sporting manager Ross Brawn believes Mercedes will sustain its momentum next season as the Silver Arrows squad only gets stronger.
The German manufacturer collected its fourth Constructor's title in 2017 and championship double as Lewis Hamilton clinched the drivers' crown.
While the Brackley crew faced a tough opposition from Ferrari, mainly in the first half of the season, Brawn fears Mercedes success will continue unabated in 2018.
"They’ve got a great group of people, but my slight worry is that they will get even stronger now," he told ESPN.
"They’ve had a change of senior management – Paddy Lowe left and James Allison came – and that was in the middle of a car [regulation] change, which is not easy."
Mercedes only weakness this year was the temperamental nature of its W08 Silver Arrows which team boss Toto Wolff labeled a "diva" car.
But Brawn believes the outfit's 2018 charger likely won't suffer from its predecessor's relative flaws and imperfections.
"By their own admission, the car they had this year was a bit of a diva and I strongly suspect that’s not going to be the case next year.
"So I just see – unfortunately in many ways – a continuation of the steamroller. Let’s hope I’m wrong!"
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