Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.
Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.
Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.
Shareholder Structure
Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.
An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in F1."
Financial Increase
The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.
This surge reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.
This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.
The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film to date.
Present Standings
The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three races left in the current championship.
Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The team won a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.
