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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.

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

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers 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, from 2014 to 2021.