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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity 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 in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won two of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.