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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of 5%.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Increase

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports film to date.

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.