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

Toto Wolff is engaged in final negotiations to sell a portion of his shareholding in the Mercedes F1 outfit.

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

The Austrian executive, who owns one-third of Mercedes F1, plans to divest a stake approximately five percent.

The 53-year-old will remain as team boss and CEO if the sale goes through.

Shareholder Structure

Remaining partners in the team are Mercedes-Benz and industrial group Ineos Group, who both hold a third of the company.

A Mercedes spokesperson said: "We are providing no comment on this. The governance of Mercedes F1 stays unaltered, and all three partners are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in F1."

Valuation Increase

The deal would represent a substantial rise in value of Mercedes F1 after Ineos bought its share for £208m in 2022.

The rise demonstrates the growth in market values of F1 teams in the past few years due to the increasing appeal of Formula 1 around the world.

This trend was evident with the box-office performance of the F1 movie featuring Hollywood star Brad Pitt, which debuted last summer and has grossed over $630 million (£458 million) at cinemas worldwide.

The film represents the actor's top-grossing movie and the highest-earning sports film ever released.

Current Standings

Mercedes are second in the constructors' championship, behind McLaren, with three races remaining this season.

Mercedes' primary racer George Russell has secured victory in 2 of the 21 races 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.

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