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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

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

The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Current Performance

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races left this season.

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

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