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Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6 billion – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a stake in the region of five percent.

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

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos, who both hold one-third of the company.

An official representative stated: "We will be making no official statement on this. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its stake for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the expansion in valuations of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity of the sport around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie featuring Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned over $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three Grands Prix left in the current championship.

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races this year and is in fourth place in the drivers' championship after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.