Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.
The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.
Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately five percent.
The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.
Shareholder Breakdown
The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the company.
An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."
Financial Growth
The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.
This surge reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.
This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.
It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports film to date.
Present Performance
The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.
Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind 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, between 2014 and 2021.
