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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of 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 debuted last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

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

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.