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

The deal 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 a change of ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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