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Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to sell part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third 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 should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations 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 Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Current Standings

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.