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

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

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

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film to date.

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

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

Mercedes secured a record eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.