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

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

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

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

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

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

Current Standings

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

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

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