Wolff Set to Sell Shareholding Pricing Mercedes F1 at £4.6bn

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

This transaction values Mercedes at £4.6bn – a record for a Formula 1 squad – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in a change of corporate structure last September.

The Austrian executive, who holds a 33% stake of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a shareholding in the region of 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain as team boss and CEO should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The management structure of Mercedes F1 will remain unchanged, and all three partners are dedicated to continued achievements of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One."

Valuation Growth

The deal would represent a significant increase in worth of Mercedes F1 since Ineos Group acquired its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in valuations of F1 teams in the past few years as a consequence of the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the success of the F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, which was released last summer and has grossed more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

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

Present Standings

The Mercedes team are runner-up in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three races remaining in the current championship.

Their lead driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight straight constructors' championships and seven driver championships, six for Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, from 2014 to 2021.