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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports film to date.

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.