BMW has confirmed that it is working with a Formula E racing team, according to a report by motorsport.com.

BMW has enjoyed a presence in Formula E from the first ever race, back in 2014, by supplying the safety cars (an i8 hybrid for the pace car, a pair of i3 small electric cars for the medical teams and a hybrid X5 for the fire crew) and, more recently, by sponsoring the 2016 Berlin race.

The Bavarian car giant has previously said that a full Formula E works entry is not attractive so long as the mid-race car swaps remain. With the sport set to move to a single car per driver in season five, BMW had been rumoured to be keen to be involved with a racing team from season three, by supplying some technical and financial support for an existing squad (long thought to be Andretti; handily, the team’s new livery features a lot of blue and white, which could work rather well with BMW branding).

BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt has now confirmed that strategy. The news means that nine out of 10 Formula E teams will have OEM links before the sport hits its third season (Renault, Citroen DS, Jaguar, Mahindra, Venturi, Faraday Future, NextEV are all headline names, while Audi is involved with the ABT team).

“We are working closely on the engineering side with one of the teams [in Formula E],” Marquardt said. “So, we have a good insight, but we have always made it clear there are a few things that have to really strengthen and develop. I think it is going in the right direction.”

Marquardt reiterated BMW’s deep-rooted stance of waiting for Formula E to mature to one-car-per-driver series, which is projected to happen in season five of the series. “For sure, the change of car that is still in place is, from our point of view, with regards to the range of electric vehicles is not ideal,” he admitted. “But there is a path to season five to get this into a better solution and we keep monitoring the situation.

“There is huge potential on the marketing side, but there is also a lot of work that needs to be done to lift that potential, to bring the series forward and make it more attractive for people to be involved.”

Asked directly if BMW was currently working with the Andretti Formula E team, Marquardt said: “We have an engineering co-operation with a team, but that is the extent of what there is.”

motorsport.com