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

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – after McLaren was appraised at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure in September.

The Austrian executive, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

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

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes and industrial group Ineos, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."

Financial Growth

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

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years due to the growing popularity of Formula 1 globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races left this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

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