Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure 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 Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately five percent.
The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.
Ownership Breakdown
The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.
An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."
Financial Growth
This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.
The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.
This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.
It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports film ever released.
Present Standings
Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.
Their lead driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Mercedes won a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.
