Toto Wolff has said that he might be looking to emulate Ferrari's move by more closely aligning with other Formula 1 teams.
American outfit Haas are already regarded as a kind of Ferrari 'B team', and now the new title sponsor at Ferrari-powered Sauber for 2018 will be Alfa Romeo.
"I think Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene are smart men," Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, is quoted as saying by Turun Sanomat newspaper.
"Already with Haas it offers Ferrari technical benefits, but what is happening with Sauber is even more visionary.
"Such an alliance can be a threat to us, so we have to think about something similar.
"It's not so easy to do when you do not want to interfere with the functions of your own team, but we need to keep our eyes and ears open because we are always looking for intelligent plans."
The publication says that said Mercedes customers Force India and Williams may be on Mercedes' radar.
Force India boss Vijay Mallya is battling Indian legal authorities, while it is reportedly "no secret" that new mother Claire Williams is thinking about selling team shares.
