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

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – after McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

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

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left this season.

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

Mercedes won a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.