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

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding in the region of five percent.

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

Ownership Structure

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.