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Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion 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 a change of corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 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 both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

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

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

Current Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, behind McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining in the current championship.

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

Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.