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

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

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

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

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

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

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

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix 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.

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.