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

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

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake in the region of 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

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

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned over $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.