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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 Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Current Performance

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three races left this season.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.