Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.
The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding in the region of 5%.
Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.
Shareholder Breakdown
Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.
An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."
Valuation Increase
The deal would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.
The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.
This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.
It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports film ever released.
Current Standings
Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races left this season.
Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The team secured a unprecedented eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
