Bernie Ecclestone believes there is absolutely no reason why Mercedes won't be competitive this season.
Entering their fourth season as full works outfit, Mercedes have just one victory to their name which came at last year's Chinese GP.
That high was followed by too many lows with the team securing just one top-ten result in the final six grands prix.
There are, however, a lot of changes at Merc ahead of the new season with Lewis Hamilton replacing Michael Schumacher and Toto Wolff stepping into a management role.
Ecclestone reckons those changes - "new people, new thinking" - will assure Mercedes of a better season.
"I expect Marcedes to be much stronger," Ecclestone told the Austrian paper Salzburger Nachrichten.
"Lewis will be a contender, and if Mercedes are good then Nico (Rosberg) will also have a chance."
"I would be disappointed if they weren't there up front. There are no more excuses."
