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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 values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Financial Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits recently as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents Pitt's most successful movie and the most successful sports film to date.

Current Performance

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

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has won two of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team won a record eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.