F1: Merc dominance allows 2017 head start - Brawn

Ross Brawn believes Mercedes will have been able to focus more on its 2017 car than its rivals because of the dominance it enjoyed this season.

Mercedes has been the team to beat for the past three years since the introduction of the new V6 turbo power units, winning 51 out of 59 races in that time. 2016 was another strong year for Mercedes, with the team winning 14 out of the first 15 races and only failing to do so in Barcelona as a result of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton colliding on the opening lap.

Brawn, Mercedes team principal from 2010 until the end of the 2013 season (pictured), expects the team to have been able to start work early on next year's car in order to prepare for a change in regulations.

"Mercedes will have been pulling resource off this year's program onto next year very early, once they saw where they were with the car," Brawn told the FIA's Auto magazine. "If I was there, and I'm sure they've carried on a similar philosophy, I'd be saying, 'Right, we've got a strong car, we can only beat ourselves – let's get everyone onto next year's program.' I don't know how many other teams could do that. Success breeds success. Mercedes will be strong next year, despite the greater emphasis on chassis."

Brawn's final year in charge of Mercedes was the most successful of his four years running the team, and he says he took a similar call to ensure the focus was on the new regulations the following season, although on that occasion it meant giving up a title battle with Red Bull.

"Up until the summer break, we were fighting with Red Bull for the championship, but I had a program where resources were being moved across to the 2014 program. My judgment now is that Red Bull didn't do that because they came back after the summer break with a car that was a lot faster, so they must have kept an effort going on that existing car or else they had more resources than we had!

"However, the consequence of that was that they began 2014 on the back foot. Having the opportunity and the conviction to make the call [on which fights you pick] is essential. It is a tough call to make, especially if you are beholden to masters who may be impatient to see a competitive return on their investment.

"You get confidence from the experience of seeing it happen in the past and saying to yourself, 'Look, slim chance of winning the title this year. Do we really want to throw everything at it, or should we keep our strength of conviction and head for the future?' The future should win."