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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued 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 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the expansion in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Present Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren's 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 won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.