Mercedes considering F1 B-team

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has claimed that the Silver Arrows are considering going down the same route as Ferrari and entering a Formula One B-team into the championships, now that the Scuderia have Sauber in the ranks as a development outfit.

Ferrari's partnership with Sauber will be implemented from the 2018 season onwards and the team's official name will be 'Alfa-Romeo [part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group] Sauber'.

The partnership with Sauber from the Scuderia comes in addition to their technical partnership with Haas, and Wolff thinks they are being smart with their use of multiple teams.

"I think what [Ferrari president] Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio [Arrivabene] are doing is very clever," Wolff told ESPN.

"They've had a good relationship with Haas. That has helped Haas and helped Ferrari and what they are doing now with Sauber is very visionary. With Fred [Vassuer] he has a team principal on the other side who knows the business inside out and it can be an alliance that can be dangerous for us."

Ferrari have junior drivers Charles Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi now within the ranks of Sauber, and with Mercedes also regularly looking at seats for members of their Mercedes apprenticeship programme, Wolff has admitted his team are looking at the possibility of a second squad.

"It's something that we are considering," he continued.

"It's not easy because you don't want to distract your own organisation with a collaboration with another team on the other side. We are not the only ones who are having intelligent ideas -- we are having discussions but nothing is done yet."