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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is 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 were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

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

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

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