'I fear for the next three seasons' - Brundle

Martin Brundle has stressed his concerns over the future of Formula 1 in his most recent column for Sky Sports, branding the hybrid engine era a 'dismal failure' and added that he fears for the next three seasons, with Mercedes and Ferrari likely to stride further away from the pack.

Brundle recently interviewed F1 Managing Director of Motorsports, Ross Brawn, over the changes in regulations that are proposed over the next few years by owners Liberty Media, with the former driver critical over the direction in which the sport is heading.

The pundit has also expressed doubts over the impact of the halo, branding its introduction 'one of the worst technical things he had ever seen'.

In his column following the end of the 2017 season, Brundle said: "This is the least points Mercedes have scored in the fours seasons of 1.6 Turbo V6 hybrids, due to Ferrari's resurgence, but other than for the Silver Arrows this hybrid era has been a dismal failure due to sound, costs, field spread, and unreliability.

"It shows no signs of improving and I fear for the next three seasons unless Ferrari and the Renault engined cars can make significant gains this winter. But then Mercedes are hardly going to stand still either."

Brundle also passed comment on the new F1, and while he doesn't have a particular problem with the new design, he sees it as another play for an 'easy win' from Liberty rather than addressing the issues that require fundamental change.

He added: "I don't mind change or the new logo, it's fresh and will probably work well into the digital future we hear so much about. It's also another step away from the Ecclestone era for the new team at Liberty.

Unfortunately, these and other changes we've witnessed at race weekends are all relatively easy gains in terms of polishing the periphery of F1. The controversial and time-consuming part is getting the core product right and it seems we have to wait until 2021 for noisier, closer running and more futuristic cars.