It’s well known that the two Ford teams in Supercars, Prodrive Racing Australia and DJR Team Penske, are working together on the evaluation of the two-door Mustang bodyshape as a replacement for the FG X Falcon.

That process was dragged into the limelight earlier this week by a newspaper report suggesting it was a done deal for 2018, which prompted Prodrive to clarify that no firm decision has been made on whether or not the Mustang will race in Supercars.

While the evaluation is ongoing, and the Mustang could well be seen as early as next season, licensing restrictions mean that Ford itself will need to give final approval. And when asked where Ford Performance in the US stood on the Mustang issue, Pericak simply reaffirmed that Ford is no longer a Supercars manufacturer.

“Ford has officially exited the Supercars series,” he told Motorsport.com. “We do have partners, Prodrive and Penske, that are running in Supercars.

“I don’t know if you’re ever going to see a Mustang or not, but right now we are not participating in Supercars.”

Both PRA and DJRTP have both made it clear that Ford involvement will be crucial in bringing a Gen2-spec Mustang to life.

Back in February, DJRTP managing director Ryan Story told Motorsport.com that “something like that can’t happen without the support and backing from Ford, so I think there is a lot of water to go under that bridge before we see something like that transpire.”

Should the Mustang be introduced to the series next season, it would make Ford the first brand to take advantage of the regulations allowing two-door bodyshapes.