Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.
Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.
Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.
Ownership Breakdown
Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.
An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."
Financial Growth
This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its share for £208m in 2022.
The rise reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams 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 starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.
The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie ever released.
Current Standings
Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three races left this season.
Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far 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 secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
