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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

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

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.