Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure last September.
Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.
The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.
Ownership Breakdown
The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.
An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."
Valuation Increase
This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.
This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.
This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.
It is the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports film to date.
Current Performance
Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.
Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.
The team secured a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
