Wolff Set to Sell Shareholding Valuing Mercedes Formula 1 Team at £4.6 Billion

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

The deal values Mercedes at £4.6 billion – a record for an F1 team – following McLaren was appraised at £3.5bn in an adjustment to ownership structure last September.

Wolff, who holds a 33% stake of the Mercedes F1 operation, plans to divest a stake approximately 5%.

Wolff, aged 53 would stay on as team principal and chief executive officer should the deal proceed.

Ownership Breakdown

The other shareholders in Mercedes F1 are Mercedes-Benz and chemicals giant Ineos Group, who each also own one-third of the company.

An official representative said: "We will be making no official statement on this. The management structure of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are dedicated to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Growth

The deal signifies a significant increase in value of the Mercedes team since Ineos bought its share for £208 million in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in valuations of F1 teams recently as a consequence of the increasing appeal of the sport globally.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the Formula 1 film featuring Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and earned more than $630m (£458m) at the box office.

The film represents Pitt's most successful film and the most successful sports film ever released.

Current Standings

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

Mercedes' primary racer British driver George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 grands prix this year and is fourth in the individual standings after McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

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