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

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure in September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie to date.

Present Standings

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

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

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