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Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Current Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

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

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