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

This transaction estimates 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 ownership structure last September.

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

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Structure

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

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on this. The management structure of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

The deal signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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