Wolff Preparing to Sell Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6bn

Toto Wolff is engaged in advanced talks to offload a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

The deal estimates the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for an F1 team – after McLaren were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of ownership structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, would sell a stake approximately 5%.

The 53-year-old will remain as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Structure

Remaining partners in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who both hold one-third of the enterprise.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We are providing no comment on this. The management structure of the team stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

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.

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

This was also seen in the success of the Formula 1 film starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted in summer 2023 and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

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

Present Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 grands prix 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.

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