‘Teams keen on Merc customer cars’

Mercedes could be the go-to-team for customer cars with three outfits already approaching Toto Wolff to discuss the possibility.

Earlier this month, F1's Strategy Group put forward customer cars as the way to save the sport's smaller teams and reduce costs.

And although some have balked at the idea, with reports claiming teams do not want to lose their constructor status, it seems at least some are keen.

Told about the complaints of some of the midfield teams, Wolff said: "It's interesting they say that because three of them came to see me (on Friday) about whether we could supply customer cars to them."

The Austrian publicly gave his backing to the customer car proposal, saying other racing series have proven it can work "pretty well."

He said: "We need to have a contingency plan in place and customer cars, or franchises, we have seen in other sports, in NASCAR, and it functions pretty well.

"So if the contingency is about supplying our cars to customer teams, hopefully current teams, then yes we will be looking very much into it," he added.

"I think it is a good model. As a contingency plan it works, and if we can find a business case around it, we shouldn't rule it out."