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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal estimates 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 corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful movie and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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