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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 estimates Mercedes at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5bn in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Shareholder Breakdown

The other shareholders in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Increase

This arrangement would represent a substantial rise in worth of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge reflects the growth in market values of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Performance

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

Their lead driver British driver George Russell has won 2 of the 21 races this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship after 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 and 2021.