Luca Furbatto, who engineered designs for McLaren, Toro Rosso and Manor, says there are reasons to be worried about the racing in 2017.
With the emphasis on aerodynamics and mechanical grip this year following the adoption of wider wings and tyres, the Italian says F1 could continue its historical trend of favouring the teams with the biggest resources.
"In particular," he told Italian journalist Leo Turrini's blog, "Mercedes and Red Bull always build a better chassis than rivals with more modest resources."
"For the cars that generate higher downforce, their grip will be even higher, which will also affect the difference between teams even though everyone hoped that it would be the other way around."
Furthermore, Furbatto doesn't agree with the view that aerodynamics will trump power output this year.
"I don't think we will see a change for the better," said the Italian.
"Actually, I think it's the opposite. A 2017 car will spend a higher percentage of the lap at full throttle, so the benefit for the teams with the most power will only increase."
Furbatto suggested a better route would have been to follow a Le Mans approach, where designers are given more engineering freedom.
"I expect victories to be disputed between Mercedes and Red Bull," he concluded.
"Red Bull have always made an excellent chassis under the leadership of Adrian Newey, while the Mercedes car as a whole is very balanced with the best engine in the series.
"But I fully admit that we could see some surprises that could shake things up."
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