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

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team after Ineos bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in valuations of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

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

The film represents the actor's top-grossing film and the highest-earning sports movie to date.

Present Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.