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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

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

This trend was evident with the success of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports film ever released.

Present Standings

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races so far and is fourth in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a unprecedented eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.