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

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

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately 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 Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

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

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

Present Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 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.

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