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Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal values the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – following McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no comment on the matter. The governance of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to the ongoing success of the brand in Formula One."

Financial Increase

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

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

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

It is Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Present Standings

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

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

Mercedes secured a record eight straight team titles and seven driver championships, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.