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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

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

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports movie ever released.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three races remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.