Toto Wolff says he supports Mohammed ben Sulayem's bid to throw a lifeline to Fernando Alonso and Honda.

The Madrid weekend got off to a confusing start when the FIA president expressed his regret that the two-time world champion is on the verge of quitting the sport, insisting that he would do whatever he could to prevent it happening.

Revealing that he had spoken to the Spaniard, Ben Sulayem appeared to suggest that he would tweak the rules in order to help him and Honda turn their situation around, a move that would understandably rile their rivals.

With ADUO meant to have been the process by which manufacturers were able to maintain a basic level playing field - even though it actually appears to have seen Honda take a step backwards - Ben Sulayems's comments appeared to suggest that the Japanese manufacturer would be given further assistance.

Exaclty what the FIA president meant has not yet been officially addressed, however Toto Wolff supports Honda being given a helping hand.

"I think the ADUO in that case was designed as a catch-up mechanism, and that formula was unlocked for Honda," said the Austrian.

"They need more," he added. "And I think the conversation that the president had with Alonso is fair enough.

"We want to have all of these top constructors in the sport," he continued. "We want them to be competitive and successful. Rules are built to do the best for the sport, and sometimes maybe there needs an adjustment. So, fair enough conversation."

Alonso himself was giving nothing away at the weekend, merely hinting that he could switch to Aston Martin's WEC programme.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that when Mercedes domination of the original hybrid era came to an end, it was Honda that came to the fore.