( CNN ) -- Sebastian Vettel has dominated Formula One for the past three years and looks set to win a fourth straight drivers ' championship -- but that could all change in 2014 when the winds of change are unleashed on the sport . Vettel 's Red Bull has been the standout car , with the German consistently faster than his rivals at Ferrari , Mercedes , Lotus and McLaren . However , McLaren 's sporting director Sam Michael says the introduction of new technical regulations next season means a new order may emerge in the world of F1 . Cars currently use 2.4-liter engines but they will be forced to bring in 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engines next year , while there are also changes to aerodynamics and energy systems . `` When you get a big rule change the engineering structures are not fast enough to respond , even if you 're given two or three years to design cars for 2014 , '' Michael told F1 's official website . `` Although we 're a world away from where we were 20 years ago in terms of preparation -- ultimately until you get out there and run properly you 're not going to have as much reliability as you do on the current cars . `` So do I think it will mix things up ? Probably . There 'll be different results that would n't occur like they do now . It 's just another thing that 's part of rule changes and it 's something that you have to cope with . '' Vettel has won seven races so far this season and sits well clear at the top of the drivers ' championship , with nearest challenger Fernando Alonso of Ferrari 60 points adrift . But Michael believes next season could be a far closer affair . He says the introduction of a new powertrain will give teams early reliability problems , while narrow front wings , a reduction in nose height and prohibiting of exhaust blowing will also cause trouble for mechanics . `` When you have such a big change to the powertrain from a mechanical side , you will build in more margin than what you would have done previously , '' he added . `` Let 's say we had n't made any changes to the powertrain for next year ; what you 'd be doing is taking an extremely well-known product and chipping away at marginal gains -- a little bit of weight here , a bit of friction there , maybe a change in packaging . `` That 's all gone out of the window for 2014 and you 'll be in one of two positions -- either you 've pushed it too far and you 'll be unreliable , or you 'll be too heavy and you 'll want to take some weight out of the car . `` Both of those things take time . You wo n't have got it bang on in all areas of the car , so everyone will be in the same game . `` The slope that you get on when you have such big rule change is very steep compared to normal , so I think the development race -- trying to claw back as much downforce as you can -- will be a significant part of the 2014 season . ''
Sebastian Vettel will introduce a whole host of new regulations for 20 years ago . McLaren Sebastian Vettel is poised to win a fourth consecutive drivers ' title . Red Bull 's believes changes in rules means teams will face adaptation problems .