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Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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