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Toto Wolff is in final negotiations to offload part of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

The deal estimates Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.

Wolff, who owns one-third of the Mercedes F1 operation, would sell a shareholding approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unaltered, and each shareholder are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Financial Growth

This arrangement signifies a significant increase in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos Group bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

This surge demonstrates the growth in valuations of Formula 1 outfits in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport around the world.

This was also seen in the box-office performance of the F1 movie starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which was released in summer 2023 and earned more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.

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

Current Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has won two of the 21 grands prix so far and is fourth in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes won a unprecedented eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.