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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos, who both hold a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

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

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