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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload part of his shareholding 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 £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Ownership Structure

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

An official representative said: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos acquired its share for £208m in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the expansion in market values of Formula 1 outfits 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 featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the constructors' championship, trailing McLaren, with three Grands Prix remaining this season.

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

Mercedes secured a unprecedented eight consecutive team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, from 2014 and 2021.