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

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

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 are providing no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Increase

The deal would represent a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.