Wolff Set to Sell Stake Pricing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his ownership stake in the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

This transaction values the Mercedes team at £4.6bn – an unprecedented figure for a Formula 1 squad – following the McLaren team were valued at £3.5 billion in a change of corporate structure in September.

Wolff, who holds one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 will remain 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, who both hold one-third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson stated: "We will be making no official statement on the matter. The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and each shareholder are dedicated to continued achievements of the brand in F1."

Valuation Increase

The deal would represent a substantial rise in worth of the Mercedes team since Ineos Group bought its stake for £208 million in 2022.

The rise reflects the growth in market values of F1 teams recently due to the growing popularity 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 last summer and has grossed more than $630 million (£458m) at the box office.

It is the actor's top-grossing movie and the most successful sports movie ever released.

Present Performance

Mercedes are runner-up in the team standings, trailing McLaren Racing, with three races remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in two of the 21 races so far and is in fourth place in the individual standings behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

The team secured a record eight consecutive team titles and seven drivers' titles, six won by Lewis Hamilton and one by Nico Rosberg, between 2014 and 2021.