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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

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

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year 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 won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.