Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.
The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.
The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.
Shareholder Breakdown
Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.
An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."
Financial Increase
The deal signifies a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.
The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.
This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.
It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie to date.
Present Standings
The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.
Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.
The team won a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.
