Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Formula One needs this year's regulation changes to mix up the competitive order for the good of the sport.

Mercedes has dominated Formula One since the last major regulation change in 2014, winning all bar eight races in the last three seasons. Red Bull and Ferrari have slowly closed the gap, but in 2016 Mercedes actually had a higher win ratio than it had in the previous two years.

"I think you can see the trend in viewing audiences, where if you know who is going to be on pole position and who is going to win race - and Mercedes has taken 51 wins in 59 over the last three years - it's an unhealthy equation," Horner told ESPN. "You can't blame the public for becoming disenchanted with it.

"But you saw towards the end of the [2016] season with races like Mexico and Brazil, with that kind of race it can really stimulate excitement. It only takes that kind of race, so that's what we should really be aiming for at all 20 grands prix. Hopefully next year will shuffle the pack a little bit and we really need two or three teams heading into a race with a chance of winning."

But Horner admitted next year's regulations could just as easily hand Mercedes an advantage as peg them back.

"[The rule changes] are not as radical as the 2008-2009 regulations, but they are a reasonable change. It could shuffle the order to a degree, but only time will tell and it's impossible to prophesise here and now. Maybe it will give Mercedes more of an advantage, maybe less. Until we get a sample of three races next year it will be impossible to tell."

The new regulations are based around a proposal put forward by Red Bull two years ago, which was finally agreed in February last year. The final draft of regulations was actually based on a watered-down amendment put forward by McLaren, but Horner is confident they will still deliver a better-looking and more extreme car.

"The 2017 car looks great, it looks fantastic and like a Formula One car should. The only thing we need to address going forward is the acoustics, the sound.

"We presented a concept [for the rules] and that concept was unanimously adopted, but then of course if needed a little bit of fine tuning. McLaren dampened down some of the aero influences, but only very slightly. But it's broadly kept with the concept that was presented a couple of years ago."