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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport 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 has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports film to date.

Present Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three races left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.