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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure in September.

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

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no comment on this. The management structure of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

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

The rise reflects the expansion in market values of F1 teams in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Current Performance

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

Their lead driver George Russell has won two of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers 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 by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 to 2021.