Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell part of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in an adjustment to corporate structure last September.
The Austrian executive, who owns a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of five percent.
The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and CEO should the deal proceed.
Shareholder Structure
Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos, who each also own one-third of the enterprise.
An official representative stated: "We are providing no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team stays unchanged, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of the brand in F1."
Financial Growth
This arrangement signifies a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group acquired its share for £208 million in 2022.
This surge reflects the expansion in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of the sport globally.
This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630 million (£458 million) at the box office.
The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the highest-earning sports film ever released.
Present Standings
The Mercedes team are second in the team standings, behind McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.
Their lead driver British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the drivers' championship behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.
Mercedes won a unprecedented eight straight team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.
