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

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Structure

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

An official representative said: "We are providing no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208m in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458m) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Performance

Mercedes are second in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races left this season.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes secured a record eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.