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

The deal estimates 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 ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group acquired its stake 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 the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Present Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won two of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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