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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 was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unchanged, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Increase

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight straight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.