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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 the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz 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 this. The governance of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Increase

The deal signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Present Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

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

The team won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.