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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.

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

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

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Current Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.