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

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – a record for an F1 team – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on this. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

The deal signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Current Standings

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

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

The team secured a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.