Mercedes is keen to forge a collaboration with Force India in Formula One that it hopes will offer similar benefits to Ferrari's relationships with Haas and Sauber.
After falling into administration at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Force India came under new ownership over the summer break. The change in ownership created fresh concerns among some of Mercedes' rivals that the world champion team might consolidate its power in the sport by turning the relaunched Force India outfit into a B-team.
Aside from the technical and cost saving advantages, there are also concerns that the collaborations between teams create blocks of power in F1's system of governance.