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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 values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding approximately five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

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

It is the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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