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

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in a change of ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team boss and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, 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 will remain unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

This arrangement would represent a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 since Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.

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

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

The film represents Pitt's most successful movie and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren, with three races remaining this season.

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

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