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

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

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

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

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in market values of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

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

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Current Standings

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

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

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