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

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Growth

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

This surge reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630m (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in two 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.

Mercedes won a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.