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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake approximately five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 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's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.