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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.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

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

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

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

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years 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 debuted last summer and earned over $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Performance

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

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

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