Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.
Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.
The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.
Shareholder Structure
The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.
A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."
Valuation Growth
This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.
This surge reflects the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.
This was also seen in the success of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.
The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie to date.
Current Standings
Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.
Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.
Mercedes won a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
