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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 Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

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

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Financial Increase

The deal would represent a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

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

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

The team won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.