Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.
Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of five percent.
Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.
Shareholder Structure
The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold a third of the company.
An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on this. The management structure of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."
Valuation Growth
This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.
The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.
This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458 million) at the box office.
It is Pitt's most successful movie and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.
Current Standings
Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.
Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.
The team won a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
