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

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold 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 unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

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

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

Current Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.